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The differences between business unit leaders and leaders can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a business unit leader, becoming a leader takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a business unit leader has an average salary of $111,361, which is higher than the $86,964 average annual salary of a leader.
The top three skills for a business unit leader include continuous improvement, quality standards and lean manufacturing. The most important skills for a leader are customer service, strong time management, and excellent interpersonal.
| Business Unit Leader | Leader | |
| Yearly salary | $111,361 | $86,964 |
| Hourly rate | $53.54 | $41.81 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 88,824 | 172,293 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 44 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 2 |
A Business Unit Leader manages growth initiatives such as future acquisition opportunities, strategic partnerships, and organic innovation. These professionals control strategy deployment to ensure operational productivity and economy. They offer this service to sites focusing on Human Resources, Information Technology, Lead Operation, Lean Accounting, Lead Process, Strategic Pricing, and more. Business Unit Leaders also lead by promoting talent management, counseling, team concepts, individual development, training, coaching, mentoring, and retaining. They develop and manage the business unit department budget and strategic plan.
Leaders pave the way for a company to achieve certain goals. They are in charge of bringing the organization to greater heights. They set the direction of the organization, much like how a captain sets the sails of the ship. They are responsible for coming up with main strategies and alternatives should there be challenges along the way. Leaders ensure that the company is guided by its vision and mission and that the employees emulate company values. They do so through leading by example. Leaders should have strategic skills, decision-making skills, and interpersonal skills.
Business unit leaders and leaders have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Business Unit Leader | Leader | |
| Average salary | $111,361 | $86,964 |
| Salary range | Between $64,000 And $191,000 | Between $49,000 And $153,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Portland, ME |
| Highest paying state | New York | Maine |
| Best paying company | Goldman Sachs | Eli Lilly and Company |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | - |
There are a few differences between a business unit leader and a leader in terms of educational background:
| Business Unit Leader | Leader | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between business unit leaders' and leaders' demographics:
| Business Unit Leader | Leader | |
| Average age | 44 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 81.1% Female, 18.9% | Male, 49.8% Female, 50.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.1% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.0% Asian, 6.3% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 5.0% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 6% |