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The differences between supervisors 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 supervisor and a leader. Additionally, a leader has an average salary of $86,964, which is higher than the $53,902 average annual salary of a supervisor.
The top three skills for a supervisor include customer service, safety procedures and sales floor. The most important skills for a leader are customer service, strong time management, and excellent interpersonal.
| Supervisor | Leader | |
| Yearly salary | $53,902 | $86,964 |
| Hourly rate | $25.91 | $41.81 |
| Growth rate | - | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 224,920 | 172,293 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 44% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Supervisors are responsible for overseeing the daily functions of employees in a specific team, department, or even a work shift. They create work schedules, organize work processes and workflows, train new hires, provide necessary reports related to the team function and the employees, monitor and evaluate employee performance, and ensure that goals of the specific team or department are met. When needed, supervisors also provide guidance to employees in terms of their career or even personal challenges. They also help in fostering harmonious work relationships by resolving interpersonal conflicts at work. To be successful in their role, they must have leadership skills, time management skills, decision-making capabilities, analytical skills, and problem-solving skills.
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.
Supervisors and leaders have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Supervisor | Leader | |
| Average salary | $53,902 | $86,964 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $92,000 | Between $49,000 And $153,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Portland, ME |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Maine |
| Best paying company | Reed Smith | Eli Lilly and Company |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | - |
There are a few differences between a supervisor and a leader in terms of educational background:
| Supervisor | Leader | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 44% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between supervisors' and leaders' demographics:
| Supervisor | Leader | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 55.8% Female, 44.2% | Male, 49.8% Female, 50.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.2% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 4.6% White, 59.5% 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% |