--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Leaders have followers, managers have…" description: "\"Leaders have followers, managers have employees. Managers make widgets, leaders make change.\" — Seth Godin" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f2/seth-godin-152_employee_leaders-have-followers-managers-have-emp_2449196.png" --- # Leaders have followers, managers have employees. Managers… ![“Leaders have followers, managers have employees. Managers make widgets, leaders make change.” quote by Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f2/seth-godin-152_employee_leaders-have-followers-managers-have-emp_2449196.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f2/seth-godin-152_employee_leaders-have-followers-managers-have-emp_2449196.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f2/seth-godin-152_employee_leaders-have-followers-managers-have-emp_2449196.png) > “Leaders have followers, managers have employees. Managers make widgets, leaders make change.” [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Leaders inspire transformation while managers focus on routine tasks. **In simple terms:** Leaders drive change; managers run operations. Key Takeaway Cultivate vision over routine. Themes leadership management change influence Mood inspirational strategic Type leadership business When to use this quote - team meetings - project planning - strategic retreats - performance reviews Key Concepts vision execution organizational dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance vision with execution? - What habits turn managers into leaders? A Different Perspective Leaders also need operational discipline to succeed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Employee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/employee/) [Followers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/followers/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Leader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leader/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [Management](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/management/) ## Related quotes > [Managers make you feel they are important. Leaders make you feel you are important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-den-heijer/managers-make-you-feel-they-are-important-leaders-make-you-feel-you/) [Alexander Den Heijer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-den-heijer/) > [You did what your heart told you to do,' Brain complimented. 'It is what leaders, not followers, do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tonya-hurley/you-did-what-your-heart-told-you-to-do-brain-complimented-it-is-what/) [Tonya Hurley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tonya-hurley/) > [You see it's leaders and there's followers...But I'd rather be a dick than a swallower.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kanye-west/you-see-it-s-leaders-and-there-s-followers-but-i-d-rather-be-a-dick/) [Kanye West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kanye-west/) > [“there's leaders, and there's followers...but I'd rather be a d\*ck than a swallower”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kanye-west/there-s-leaders-and-there-s-followers-but-i-d-rather-be-a-d-ck-than-a/) [Kanye West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kanye-west/) > [The leader is one who mobilizes others toward a goal shared by leaders and followers. ... Leaders, followers and goals make up the three…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-leader-is-one-who-mobilizes-others-toward-a-goal-shared-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Leadership is an influence relationship among leaders and followers who intend real changes that reflect their mutual purposes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-c-rost/leadership-is-an-influence-relationship-among-leaders-and-followers/) Joseph C. Rost > [“Some individual's demand respect while other's just earn it. There are three types of people, two are essential to any mission; leaders, followers, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-brooks/some-individual-s-demand-respect-while-other-s-just-earn-it-there-are/) S. E. Brooks > [Keep in mind that we are leaders not followers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-fairley/keep-in-mind-that-we-are-leaders-not-followers/) A Fairley > [Six traits of effective leaders: 1. Make others feel important 2. Promote a vision 3. Follow the golden rule 4. Admit mistakes 5. Criticize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-nestell-bovee/six-traits-of-effective-leaders-1-make-others-feel-important-2/) [Christian Nestell Bovee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-nestell-bovee/) > [All managers make decisions, and sometimes they are right, and sometimes people say they are wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-oxlade-chamberlain/all-managers-make-decisions-and-sometimes-they-are-right-and/) [Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-oxlade-chamberlain/) > [“One of the biggest mistakes lower-context managers make is assuming that the other individual is purposely omitting information or unable to communicate explicitly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-meyer/one-of-the-biggest-mistakes-lower-context-managers-make-is-assuming/) [Erin Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-meyer/) > [“People work harder, longer, and more creatively if they are motivated by the intrinsic pleasure of their work. Managers must do everything they can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-watson/people-work-harder-longer-and-more-creatively-if-they-are-motivated/) [Robert Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-watson/) > [I say get an education. Become an electrician, a mechanic, a doctor, a lawyer, anything but a fighter. In this trade, it's the managers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/i-say-get-an-education-become-an-electrician-a-mechanic-a-doctor-a/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [“It’s impossible for a company to get what it wants most if managers have to make a choice between their own values and company…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stan-slap/it-s-impossible-for-a-company-to-get-what-it-wants-most-if-managers/) [Stan Slap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stan-slap/) > [Well certain managers will see you make mistakes and they'll tell you about it and then they've told you once and if you do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/micah-richards/well-certain-managers-will-see-you-make-mistakes-and-they-ll-tell-you/) [Micah Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/micah-richards/) ## More by Seth Godin > [“You weren't born to be a cog in the giant industrial machine. You were trained to become a cog. There's an alternative available to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/you-weren-t-born-to-be-a-cog-in-the-giant-industrial-machine-you-were/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Forgive yourself for not being the richest, the thinnest, the tallest, the one with the best hair. Forgive yourself for not being the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/forgive-yourself-for-not-being-the-richest-the-thinnest-the-tallest/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [The easier it is to quantify, the less it's worth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-easier-it-is-to-quantify-the-less-it-s-worth/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Developing expertise or assets that are not easily copied is essential; otherwise you're just a middleman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/developing-expertise-or-assets-that-are-not-easily-copied-is/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Leadership is a choice. It's the choice not to do nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/leadership-is-a-choice-it-s-the-choice-not-to-do-nothing/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [The next thing you do today will be the most important thing on your agenda, because, after all, you're doing it next. Well, perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-next-thing-you-do-today-will-be-the-most-important-thing-on-your/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [I look at Starbucks, Howard Schultz has made many brilliant decisions, and one of the things that they did was they invented the third…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/i-look-at-starbucks-howard-schultz-has-made-many-brilliant-decisions/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Be relentlessly generous, without focusing on when it will come back to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/be-relentlessly-generous-without-focusing-on-when-it-will-come-back/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [The public square is more public than ever, but minds are rarely changed in 140 character bursts and by selfies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-public-square-is-more-public-than-ever-but-minds-are-rarely/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Making an average pitch to average people, or having an average gala for average people isn't going to scale anymore. You've got to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/making-an-average-pitch-to-average-people-or-having-an-average-gala/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Our job is to make change. Our job is to connect to people, to interact with them in a way that leaves them better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/our-job-is-to-make-change-our-job-is-to-connect-to-people-to-interact/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [“Life is actually far better than it is in the movies. And it takes longer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/life-is-actually-far-better-than-it-is-in-the-movies-and-it-takes/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [I don't think there's a shortage of remarkable ideas. I think your business has plenty of great opportunities to do great things. Nope, what's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-shortage-of-remarkable-ideas-i-think-your/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [The mirror we hold up to the person next to us is one of the most important pictures she will ever see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-mirror-we-hold-up-to-the-person-next-to-us-is-one-of-the-most/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [If you're a marketer who doesn't know how to invent, design, influence, adapt, and ultimately discard products, then you're no longer a marketer. You're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/if-you-re-a-marketer-who-doesn-t-know-how-to-invent-design-influence/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) [Explore all 1,110 Seth Godin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) ## More Employee quotes > [The thing about hitting kids is, think about if you were doing the same thing to another adult. Hitting your kid is really the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/the-thing-about-hitting-kids-is-think-about-if-you-were-doing-the/) [Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/) > [Trust is about keeping commitments, but in many instances, circumstances change and organizations therefore shed commitments, things such as retiree medical benefits, pension obligations,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-pfeffer/trust-is-about-keeping-commitments-but-in-many-instances/) [Jeffrey Pfeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-pfeffer/) > [“Work is a vehicle with which man chases some fleeting destination called a full tummy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/work-is-a-vehicle-with-which-man-chases-some-fleeting-destination/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [“Employment is an employee’s kissing of an employer’s ass. A salary is the employer’s pretense to be cleaning his ass.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/employment-is-an-employee-s-kissing-of-an-employer-s-ass-a-salary-is/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [LEGO has announced that they are shutting down their U.S. factory and moving it to Canada. LEGO employees say it's their fault because they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/lego-has-announced-that-they-are-shutting-down-their-u-s-factory-and/) [Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/) > [“Pizza as a reward at work, gotta love it. Personally, I'd rather have that than a raise. Give me a pizza, boss, and let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/pizza-as-a-reward-at-work-gotta-love-it-personally-i-d-rather-have/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [This bill would allow an employee to bring a claim against an employer decades after the alleged initial act of discrimination occurred. Trial lawyers,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buck-mckeon/this-bill-would-allow-an-employee-to-bring-a-claim-against-an/) Buck McKeon > [The schoolmaster is the person who takes the children off the parents' hands for a consideration. That is to say, he establishes a child…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-schoolmaster-is-the-person-who-takes-the-children-off-the-parents/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [You have to treat your employees like your customers. When you treat them right they will treat your outside customers right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-kelleher/you-have-to-treat-your-employees-like-your-customers-when-you-treat/) [Herb Kelleher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-kelleher/) > [John Shook's experience shows just how important problemsolving is at Toyota - it comes before any other job skill for the graduate intake. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-burns/john-shook-s-experience-shows-just-how-important-problemsolving-is-at/) Martin Burns > [The ruler should employ person in tasks according to their abilities because Knowers ( or the means ) and efficient employees make impossible tasks also possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chanakya/the-ruler-should-employ-person-in-tasks-according-to-their-abilities/) [Chanakya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chanakya/) > [The first major issue you need to consider when focusing on today's workers: You have to know what motivates them. If you think it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-rottenberg/the-first-major-issue-you-need-to-consider-when-focusing-on-today-s/) [Linda Rottenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-rottenberg/) > [Recognition is powerful, as long as it's authentic and specific. Whatever their level on the inverted pyramid, employees wants to feel needed and valued.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-spector/recognition-is-powerful-as-long-as-it-s-authentic-and-specific/) [Robert Spector](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-spector/) > [Failing to differentiate among employees — and holding on to bottom-tier performers — is actually the cruelest form of management there is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-welch/failing-to-differentiate-among-employees-and-holding-on-to-bottom/) [Jack Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-welch/) > [Our society has become an employee society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/our-society-has-become-an-employee-society/) [Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/) [Browse all 1,184 Employee quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/employee/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Leaders have followers, managers have employees. 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