Leader vs. Boss
In these days is very common to talk about the differences between being a Leader and being a Boss inside an organization. What does it really mean to be a Leader or a Boss? Let’s figure it out.
The idea of this blog is to show and explain the differences and consequences that each of them have. I’ll try to give you some tools to differentiate a Leader from a Boss, and in the best-case scenario, help you improve your leadership management skills.
If you are a boss, or have a high position inside your organization, I’ll try to help you understand if you really are a leader or if your team considers you a team leader, or just their boss.
To understand the concepts a little more, I’ll define what being a leader means, and expose some differences from being just a boss.
A leader is not always the person with the highest position inside the organization, or teamwork. It would be ideal for that person to be a leader, but it can also be any other person who is part of the teamwork.
A leader is the one always supporting their team to achieve the objectives, giving his/her best, in helping with all the tasks they can. Unlike the boss, that will usually just set the tasks and wait until they are done.
I mentioned earlier that a leader is not necessary the person with the highest position in an organization or teamwork, but now I’ll like to focus on that person known as “The Boss”.
Next, I’ll enumerate some actions carried out by bosses considered leaders by their team:
- They trust their team and let them decide their own actions to achieve the goals.
- They try to orientate their goals, to the business main goal.
- They see the obstacles and limitations as learning opportunities.
- They provide different possibilities, so they can all choose the best way to work.
- They work with the team, and the team doesn’t work for them.
- They create a new culture with the team inside the organization.
- The power is given by their team, their relationship and mutual commitments.
- They incite others to improve their leadership skills, and sub-delegate tasks to others.
Bosses that are not considered leaders, they do not possess many or possibly any of the skills listed above, and they use certain methods such as:
- Rewards and punishments to control behaviors.
- They see the obstacles and limitations as excuses for not achieving the goals.
There are many other skills that are not listed above that make a leader a leader. There is no a manual to follow, that guarantees being a good leader. There are many techniques and “good manners” to follow, however, it depends on you and your soft skills.
Recently I got a promotion and I became a coordinator. This was a huge change and I had to be prepare for that. A lot of responsibilities came with that promotion, and one of those was to organize all the resources of the company (among other tasks). That’s when I started to implement all the things I had learned during my time in the company; and the main one that that inspired me to write this blog, is LEADERSHIP.
That’s why I recommend (and it will be the topic for my next blog), to always continue learning and improving your skills.
Here at ConsultR, we have great leaders, and also good people that allows us to work every day comfortably. We all have the freedom to say what we think and work professionally as we think is the best way.
I really hope that this blog incites all of you to investigate and study even more about leadership and helps you to improve your work relationships.
So, are you bosses or leaders? Be a Leader!