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The differences between shop foremen 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 shop foreman and a leader. Additionally, a leader has an average salary of $86,964, which is higher than the $68,171 average annual salary of a shop foreman.
The top three skills for a shop foreman include customer service, preventative maintenance and CDL. The most important skills for a leader are customer service, strong time management, and excellent interpersonal.
| Shop Foreman | Leader | |
| Yearly salary | $68,171 | $86,964 |
| Hourly rate | $32.77 | $41.81 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 16,599 | 172,293 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 37% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A shop foreman is responsible for monitoring the daily operations of a shop, ensuring that the staff members perform their duties to address customers' needs. A shop foreman manages staffing schedules, trains new employees, and distributes tasks. They often work in manufacturing, automotive, and warehouse industries, which require knowledge of operating equipment. A shop foreman must have excellent leadership and communication skills, especially on addressing customers' inquiries and complaints and performing clerical tasks as needed.
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.
Shop foremen and leaders have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Shop Foreman | Leader | |
| Average salary | $68,171 | $86,964 |
| Salary range | Between $47,000 And $97,000 | Between $49,000 And $153,000 |
| Highest paying City | Gillette, WY | Portland, ME |
| Highest paying state | Wyoming | Maine |
| Best paying company | Freightliner Trucks | Eli Lilly and Company |
| Best paying industry | Energy | - |
There are a few differences between a shop foreman and a leader in terms of educational background:
| Shop Foreman | Leader | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 37% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Automotive Technology | Business |
| Most common college | SUNY Farmingdale | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between shop foremen' and leaders' demographics:
| Shop Foreman | Leader | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 97.0% Female, 3.0% | Male, 49.8% Female, 50.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.5% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.7% Asian, 5.3% White, 60.6% 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% |