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The differences between team 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 team leader, becoming a leader takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a leader has an average salary of $86,964, which is higher than the $68,817 average annual salary of a team leader.
The top three skills for a team leader include customer service, ladders and patients. The most important skills for a leader are customer service, strong time management, and excellent interpersonal.
| Team Leader | Leader | |
| Yearly salary | $68,817 | $86,964 |
| Hourly rate | $33.09 | $41.81 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 197,336 | 172,293 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 43 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 2 |
Team leaders are responsible for managing a team for a specific project or work component. They primarily guide the team members and ensure that they are still working towards the set goals. Team leaders create strategies to reach goals, cascade the goals and strategies to team members, assign tasks, conduct periodic check-ups on the roadmap towards the goals, foster an engaging work environment, motivate and coach team members, monitor team performance, evaluate the strategies and come up with mitigating plans as needed. They are also responsible for reporting the team's progress to higher management.
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.
Team leaders and leaders have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Team Leader | Leader | |
| Average salary | $68,817 | $86,964 |
| Salary range | Between $37,000 And $126,000 | Between $49,000 And $153,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Portland, ME |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Maine |
| Best paying company | Ropes & Gray | Eli Lilly and Company |
| Best paying industry | - | - |
There are a few differences between a team leader and a leader in terms of educational background:
| Team Leader | Leader | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 50% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | SUNY College of Technology at Delhi | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between team leaders' and leaders' demographics:
| Team Leader | Leader | |
| Average age | 43 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 55.0% Female, 45.0% | Male, 49.8% Female, 50.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 7.2% White, 61.6% 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 | 9% | 6% |