Relationships at Work - a trust-driven leadership podcast Leaders vs. Managers: The Cost of Mixing Them Up
Dec 4, 2025
08:03
Too many workplaces use “leader” and “manager” interchangeably — and it’s hurting their people and their culture. In this solo episode, Relationships at Work host Russel Lolacher explains the real difference between leadership and management and why misunderstanding the two leads to frustration, disengagement, and poor decision-making.
Russel explores how:
- Leadership focuses on people, growth, and purpose
- Management focuses on tasks, timelines, and resources
- Calling every manager a “leader” hides harmful behaviour
- Organizations weaken culture when they don’t define the roles clearly
You’ll also hear three concrete actions to help teams name, model, and develop leadership and management as distinct skill sets — so the workplace can run well and feel human.
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