Managing vs. Leading: What Separates Great Leaders from Great Managers with Jeremy Duggan
Revenue Builders
When managing is the act of leading
John McMahon contrasts management (KPIs) with leadership (asking why and developing individuals).
Managing people and leading them are often treated as the same skill, but the gap between the two is where many organizations stall. In this replay episode, Jeremy Duggan joins the conversation to explore one of the most critical distinctions in business leadership: the difference between driving results and developing people.
Drawing on real-world experience scaling multiple companies to billion-dollar valuations, Jeremy unpacks why great leaders prioritize belief, execution, and long-term growth over short-term outcomes, and why vision only works when it’s paired with disciplined follow-through.
Whether you’re struggling to balance leadership with management or looking to elevate your team to extraordinary performance, this conversation reveals the principles that separate good managers from truly great leaders.
Jeremy Duggan is the President of Multiverse and an advisor to high-growth technology companies navigating scale. He is known for helping leaders transition from managing outcomes to building people-first organizations that deliver extraordinary results.
Connect with Jeremy:
Resources mentioned:
Key takeaways from this episode:
- 04:00 – Why great leaders focus on making people great, not just making the work great, and how that mindset consistently produces stronger results
- 08:50 – How difficult conversations, when rooted in genuine care and clear intent, become defining moments that unlock coachability and long-term growth
- 13:30 – Why people want to be led only if they believe a leader can take them somewhere they cannot reach on their own
- 21:00 – How vision shows where you’re going, purpose explains why it matters, and belief bridges the gap between ambition and execution
- 34:00 – Why belief isn’t motivation. It’s built through proof, planning, and helping people see what’s possible before they can see it themselves
- 46:00 – Why leadership without process creates empty inspiration, and management without vision limits performance and development
- 59:30 – How true leadership legacy is measured by the people you develop and the leaders who emerge after you leave
Hosted by five-time CRO John McMahon and Force Management Co-Founder John Kaplan, the Revenue Builders podcast goes behind the scenes with the sales leaders who have been there, done that, and seen the results.
This show is brought to you by Force Management. We help companies improve sales performance, executing their growth strategy at the point of sale.
Connect with Us:
The AI-powered Podcast Player
