In professional and artistic settings, "dirigir" conveys authority and guidance:

It can mean supervising or "directing" a research project or PhD thesis.

It translates to "running" or "managing" a business or team (e.g., dirigir un negocio ).

It is the standard word for "to drive" a car.

While "dirigir" can mean to steer (a car, plane, or boat), the word "conducir" is the more frequent choice for "to drive" in Spain and many parts of Latin America. 2. Leadership and Management