Management and leadership are not the same, but both are very important in running a business, an organization and being a successful entrepreneur.

As a business owner, supervisor or a manager in a large corporation it is important to understand how to lead your employees and manage your assets.

Napa Valley College Small Business Development Center offers counseling and training for start-up and expanding businesses that have often focused on the “management” side of operating a small business.

We can help business owners manage their business plans and their cash flow. We can show business owners how to control their costs by setting up budgets and profit and loss statements. We strive to give business owners the management tools to keep the business on track and profitable.

But what about employees? How can we better help employers “manage” employees?

If you are a manger keep in mind that managing deals with things; leadership deals with people.

You manage things, you lead people. When we are successfully managing employees we are really leading, motivating, inspiring encouraging and effectively communicating our vision.

Leadership is more than just controlling costs and budgeting resources. Leadership is the process of influencing and inspiring others to work to achieve a common goal and then giving them the power to achieve it.

So how can a good manager become a better leader to their employees?

At NVC SBDC and NVC Hospitality Institute one of our favorite tools is our award-winning NVC Customer Service Academy Training.

The NVC Customer Service Academy is more than the usual how to be nice to your customer training. We have 10 customized modules that focus on motivating employees, communicating effectively with employees, managing change and team-building as well as other topics to expand your management and leadership skills.

The workshops are high-energy, interactive and have been fun for the more than 1,500 employees and employers who have participated in one of the trainings.

Feedback on our Customer Service Academy training has been excellent, but interestingly many of the evaluations from employees often state: “I wish my supervisor would take this training!”

The NVC Hospitality Institute offers our Customer Service Academy Training either in a structured workshop or customized at your business site. Many of our local wineries have taken the opportunity to have customized training programs on communication, conflict resolution, sales and team building. The training has been especially beneficial to prepare for the looming tourist season.

I encourage business owners to call us at the NVC SBDC and NVC Hospitality Institute to find out how they can utilize this and other opportunities to expand both their business management and leadership skills.

The Hospitality Institute Web site is www.nvchi.org and the SBDC is www.napas bdc.org.

Never forget the difference between leadership and management:

Leadership without management is unbridled.

Management without leadership is uninspired.

Leadership is often the passion to get the business going.

Management is the tool to keep the business on track.

Management deals with things: Leadership deals with people.

You manage things; you lead people.

 Beth Pratt is the Director of the Napa Valley College SBDC.