Difference Between A Boss & Leader
Boss | Leader |
| Drives Employees | Coaches Them |
| Depends on Authority | Depends on Goodwill |
| Inspires Fear | Generates Enthusiasm |
| Says “I” | Says “We” |
| Places Blame for the Breakdown | Fixes the Breakdown |
| Knows How it is Done | Shows How it is Done |
| Uses People | Develops People |
| Takes Credit | Gives Credit |
| Commands | Asks |
| Says “Go” | Says “Let’s Go” |
Every leader is a boss. But every boss is not the leader. This defines the difference between a boss and a leader. The biggest difference between a boss and a leader is one. The boss is respected and obeyed because of his/her seniority. A leader is respected and looked up to as a example not only because of seniority but mainly because of the qualities of character and ability.
Those who aspire to become leaders must lead by example. The team must always have a firm belief that the leader will be there during every crisis. Not to fix the blame, but fix the problem. If the team members find that the leader does not follow what he/she preaches, they will have no respect for him/her. They may obey him/her, but the respect will be missing. Leaders gain this respect by their actions. They look and act sincerely. There is no mismatch between their words and actions. They look integral in approach and character.
To be a leader, every boss must display characteristics such as knowledge, planning, anticipation, foresight, action, result oriented approach, perspective, respect every team member, earn their respect, act as a friend and act as a mentor. This is quite a list, but if you want to become a good leader you need these qualities. This is true not only for national leaders but for persons in every leadership position in any organization. Once a person earns the respect of his /her team members he/she ceases to be only a boss and transforms into a leader
Are You a Boss or a Leader?
by rajeevpeshawaria
When I asked the daughter of a friend of mine why she quit her job, here’s what she said: “My boss meant well, even tried all sorts of cute stuff to motivate us – like casual Fridays and family picnics – but I left because he did not have a clue on what motivates ME. He never stopped trying to motivate his staff with one-size-fits-all gimmicks, but it never occurred to him to ask us what really motivated each one of us individually.”While poor leadership such as this incident is seen with alarming regularity in many organizations, I am not sure if enough is done about it. The problem is: there are too many bosses, but too few leaders around. The distinction between the two is simple: leaders do whatever it takes to maximize their employees’ engagement – and therefore their organization’s success; while bosses just want to enjoy the privileges of their position. While most organizations train their people on leadership, most of the training tends to be formulaic and theoretical, and is often based on look-back competency models and copy-cat role plays. To turn bosses into leaders, we must re-think our investments in leadership development. To begin with, let’s take a closer look at the differences between the two.
Leadership involves first envisioning a better future, then striving hard for as long as it takes to create it. The problem with articulating a better future is that it meets resistance the moment words of change come out of the mouth of the speaker. People tell you in a million ways why you will not succeed. To stay the course despite such resistance, you need limitless energy. Most bosses find it more comfortable to cope with the present instead of striving to create a better future.
Lasting energy comes from clarity of purpose, not from artificial incentives. When you know where you’re headed, you feel energized and walk at a brisk pace. When you don’t have a destination in mind, you wander about slowly. The problem is, most people are unable to answer the question: what is your purpose? If you hold a senior position, it is unacceptable if you haven’t asked yourself this question yet.
The second source of lasting energy is clarity on personal values. Together with a clear sense of purpose, values tell people what to do and how to behave when there are no ready answers. Leaders set the example with their own value based behavior in order to influence others.
A big part of leadership is the ability to build genuine bonds with others. To be able to build such bonds, one must understand grief. Unless you have suffered pain, you don’t know what it feels like. Unless you have fallen a few times, you have no idea what it takes to stand up again. Topics such as grief, sorrow and failure are considered too soft and touchy-feely (and therefore taboos) in most organizations even while they form the bedrock of authentic leadership.
Life is full of disappointments. Whatever you do, people will disappoint you from time to time. The big difference between a real leader and a mere boss is that the former has discovered the magic of forgiveness. Holding grudges or remaining angry only hurts the holder. Learning to forgive is the best gift you can give yourself.
Today’s world is too complex for any one person to have all the answers. To succeed today, one must be willing to share leadership. Leadership is something that grows with sharing – the more you share it, the greater and more powerful it becomes. Mere bosses do not understand this.
Instead of worrying about how to maximize their personal power, or to create great results themselves, authentic leaders make it their full time job to pro-actively shape the three pillars of sustainable success:
1. Setting Direction (The BRAIN of a business)
2. Designing the Organization (The BONES of a business)
3. Creating a Culture of Excellence (The NERVES of a business)
2. Designing the Organization (The BONES of a business)
3. Creating a Culture of Excellence (The NERVES of a business)
At the end of the day, leadership is the art of harnessing human energy towards the creation of a better future. By first finding their own energy through clarity of purpose and values; then aligning the energy of a few co-leaders towards a shared purpose; and finally galvanizing the energy of an entire organization by shaping the three growth pillars, leaders help their people and their organizations be more successful. Leadership development activities should focus on helping bosses become “human energy champions,” and therefore leaders!
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