Here's something I've seen kill teams over and over again. Too much managing. Not enough leading.

Most people in management roles default to managing. It makes sense. Managing is easier. It's process-driven. It's measurable. You plan, you budget, you staff, you monitor results. Check the boxes. Keep the machine running.

But keeping the machine running isn't the job. Not really.

Management is a set of processes that keeps a complicated system of people and technology running smoothly. Planning. Budgeting. Organizing. Staffing. Controlling. Problem solving. All necessary. None of it inspiring.

Leadership is different. Leadership creates organizations — or transforms them when the world shifts. It defines what the future should look like, aligns people with that vision, and inspires them to make it happen despite every obstacle in the way.

That distinction matters more than most people realize.

A manager directs. A leader influences.

A manager maintains the status quo. A leader casts a vision for the future.

A manager looks for performance. A leader looks for potential.

A manager believes in the system. A leader believes in people.

A manager anchors successes to process. A leader provides direction so people can create their own successes.

Both are needed. But here's the problem — most teams are drowning in management and starving for leadership.

From my experience, if done right, every level of management should spend about 10% of their time managing and 90% leading.

Read that again. 10% managing. 90% leading.

Most people have it completely backwards. They spend their days buried in status updates, Gantt charts, and performance reviews. Then they wonder why their team lacks motivation and direction.

To flip that ratio, certain things need to be in place. Your systems need to be solid enough that they don't require constant babysitting. Your hiring needs to be good enough that you're not endlessly course-correcting. And you need to trust your people enough to let go of the controls.

Establishing direction. Not just quarterly goals. A vision of the future — often the distant future — and strategies for producing the changes needed to get there.

Aligning people. Communicating that direction in words and deeds. Building teams and coalitions that understand the vision, accept it, and are ready to move.

Motivating and inspiring. Energizing people to overcome the political, bureaucratic, and resource barriers that always show up. This means satisfying real human needs — autonomy, purpose, growth — not just hitting KPIs.

The best leaders I've worked with do these three things relentlessly. The mediocre ones are too busy managing to notice their team has no idea where they're going.

If you're in a leadership role, ask yourself one question: How much of your week is spent on process, and how much is spent on people?

If the answer is mostly process, you're managing. That's fine for keeping things stable. But stability isn't growth. And your team deserves more than stability.

Stop managing. Start leading.