What is manager?

A manager is a person who plans, organize, leads, and controls the allocation of human, material, financial, and information resources in pursuit of the organization's goals.

The many diferent types of managers include department managers, product managers, account managers, plant managers, division managers, district managers, and task force managers. What they all have in common is responsibility for the efforts of a group of people who share a goal and access to resources that the group can use in pursuing its goals.

You don't have to be called a manager to be a manager. Some managers have unique and creative titles, such as chief information officer (a person in charge of information systems) or team leader. People with the job titles of chief executive officer (CEO), president, managing director, supervisor, and coach also are responsible for helping group of people achieve a common goal, so they too are managers.

Most employees contribute to organizations through their own work, not by directing other employees. Journalists, computer programmers, insurance agents, machine operators, newscasters, graphic designers, sales associates, stockbrokers, accountants, and lawyers are essential to helping their organizations achieve their goals, but many people with these titles aren't managers.

What sets managers apart, if not their job titles? Simply put the difference between manager and individual contributes is that managers are evaluated on how well the people they direct do their jobs.

Source: Management: A Competency-Based Approach by Hellriegel, Jackson, Slocum, Edition 10.