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The differences between general production managers and leaders can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a general production manager and a leader. Additionally, a leader has an average salary of $86,964, which is higher than the $32,434 average annual salary of a general production manager.
The top three skills for a general production manager include general production, food safety and hand tools. The most important skills for a leader are customer service, strong time management, and excellent interpersonal.
| General Production Manager | Leader | |
| Yearly salary | $32,434 | $86,964 |
| Hourly rate | $15.59 | $41.81 |
| Growth rate | - | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 183,687 | 172,293 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 40% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A general production manager is responsible for overseeing the overall production operations for the business, managing staff performance, and ensuring that the team performs with the highest productivity and efficiency. General production managers perform quality control procedures to monitor the stability and effectiveness of current processes and minimize downtimes. They also handle the budget and resource allocation across the department to support activities and enhance performance. A general production manager strategizes workforce policies, adhering to the company's guidelines and protocols, and resolves production discrepancies as soon as they arise.
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.
General production managers and leaders have different pay scales, as shown below.
| General Production Manager | Leader | |
| Average salary | $32,434 | $86,964 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $40,000 | Between $49,000 And $153,000 |
| Highest paying City | Rochester, NY | Portland, ME |
| Highest paying state | Wyoming | Maine |
| Best paying company | Titan International | Eli Lilly and Company |
| Best paying industry | Finance | - |
There are a few differences between a general production manager and a leader in terms of educational background:
| General Production Manager | Leader | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 40% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between general production managers' and leaders' demographics:
| General Production Manager | Leader | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 73.3% Female, 26.7% | Male, 49.8% Female, 50.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.2% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 5.7% White, 62.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | 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 | 6% | 6% |