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The differences between senior managers 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 senior manager, becoming a leader takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a senior manager has an average salary of $118,906, which is higher than the $86,964 average annual salary of a leader.
The top three skills for a senior manager include analytics, project management and portfolio. The most important skills for a leader are customer service, strong time management, and excellent interpersonal.
| Senior Manager | Leader | |
| Yearly salary | $118,906 | $86,964 |
| Hourly rate | $57.17 | $41.81 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 372,801 | 172,293 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 44 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 2 |
A senior manager is responsible for directing the overall efficiency of business operations. Senior managers monitor the performance of the staff, improve operational strategies, identify business opportunities, allocate budgets and resources, present reports to senior management, set goals to drive results on increasing the company's revenues and profitability. Senior managers must coordinate with various operations departments to maintain good feedback for the company, meeting client's expectations, and delivering the best results. They should have excellent communication and leadership skills to handle team members, as well as managing their needs and concerns.
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.
Senior managers and leaders have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Manager | Leader | |
| Average salary | $118,906 | $86,964 |
| Salary range | Between $86,000 And $163,000 | Between $49,000 And $153,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Portland, ME |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Maine |
| Best paying company | Cornerstone Research | Eli Lilly and Company |
| Best paying industry | Professional | - |
There are a few differences between a senior manager and a leader in terms of educational background:
| Senior Manager | Leader | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between senior managers' and leaders' demographics:
| Senior Manager | Leader | |
| Average age | 44 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 67.5% Female, 32.5% | Male, 49.8% Female, 50.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.1% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.9% Asian, 6.3% White, 67.9% 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% |