[...]... as a manager easily in a new country so I applied for a non-managerial role I got lucky when I succeeded in persuading a photo-copying company that I wasn’t overqualified and I had left my career as a Manager behind me I spent a year not managing people and to my amazement when I was outside of that management bubble I learnt more about managing people than I did in my previous twelve years as a Manager... subtle leadership can be the most effective option I have never forgotten Leadership is all about inspiring people I was inspired by the words written by someone who was born the same day as me 407 years prior, William Shakespeare and demonstrated passionately by the leadership role played by Henry V So think about what you can achieve as a leader and maybe you will be able to leave a legacy that will... However, a leader is not necessarily a hero nor a manager A manager is not half as important to a team as is a leader A true leader is something much more They become the person that people need them to be and sometimes that is not the person that a hero or a manager wants to be You are not as clever as you think you are It is a common misconception that as the manager you are the most important part of. .. it wasn’t unusual that I had to deal with complaints and while the majority of people were reasonable there was an group of people that dealt with the situation in a manner that could easily be described as best as rude and at worst downright harassment A few years later I left and moved to London and started a career in a Finance House Anyone who has worked for a Finance House, particularly in London... principles of the team are already established Maintains the status quo Managers have subordinates Leaders: Influence people to achieve goals Sets a vision for the team to follow Challenges the status quo Leaders have followers Everyone in a managerial role requires both managerial and leadership skills in order to perform their role adequately but it’s the leadership qualities that allow teams to perform at... years of being the “boss” I came across the most painful realisation of all and that was I wasn’t as funny as I thought I was This was a painful blow but made me realise just how much of an impact the word ‘Manager” has on the people who work with you and how they interact No one laughed at my jokes readily anymore I had to work much harder to be the likable hero I thought I was I wasn’t sad because... is that the majority of organisations have Managers who try to lead yet the elite organisations have Leaders who just happen to be Managers With the terms ‘Manager” and “Leader” becoming so interchangeable over the years people have often mistaken the differences between a Manager and a Leader, yet they are two very different roles Managers: Control or direct resources to achieve goals Values and principles... don’t have to change who you are The path to true Leadership is about discovering who you really are as opposed to becoming who you want to be A common mistake made by new Managers is that they seem to think that they have to become a certain kind of person After over twenty years of developing Managers and Leaders I can assure you that Managers come in all shapes, sizes and personality types Some are... calligraphy, painting, ceremonial tea drinking and was the author of one of the most influential books of all time “The Book of Five Rings” but more about Miyamoto Mushashi will come later When you hear the word “samurai” images come to mind of brave noble warriors that struck fear in the hearts of their enemies The Samurai warrior was the elite soldier in feudal Japan, the very best of the best A. .. beyond the rules and appreciate the way of life you are trying to create then you will be on the way to success A code of conduct should be more than a set of rules; it has to be a way of life A similar principle was a Samurai’s loyalty to their master even to such a degree that in the event of their master’s death a Samurai would chose ritual suicide (oibara seppuku) rather than carry on During this .