Whenever I hear the word “boss,” I think of a high-rank individual who gets paid to tell others what to do. It’s almost a dated word used by an employee to introduce his manager or the president of the company. However, when someone introduces a person as their leader, I think of a respected, high-rank visionary who makes good decisions and knows how to inspire teams.
So what are the key differences between a boss and a leader?
1. A boss makes all decisions. A leader sees to it decisions are made. When a manager senses a problem and makes a unilateral decision because he’s the boss, he disempowers his team and indirectly tells everyone they don’t have the intelligence to make their own decision. In contrast, a leader knows how to leverage the collective intelligence and insight of the team to arrive at their own decision.
2. A boss reprimands her employees when they are screwing up. A leader provides consistent feedback; emphasizing good performance. This is why so many employees tell their co-workers “I just got yelled at” when their boss talks to them. It’s because they only see the ugly head of their boss when there’s a problem. And when a job is well done, well, that’s what employees get paid to do, so in the boss’ mind, there’s no need to acknowledge with a pat on the back. A leader understands that people are much more motivated by positive feedback when expectations are met than only negative feedback when things go wrong.
3. A boss believes he is better and smarter than his employees. A leader finds and recruits the most intelligent people he can find to fill critical roles in the organization. How many bosses are so insecure that they can’t admit it when one of their employees has the better idea? And how many times is are those better ideas laid to rest because the boss wasn’t the one who thought of it? Worse, the boss steals the best idea from the group and claims ownership. A leader encourages thought leadership and gives accolades when they are due.
4. A boss treats her employees like kids. A leader empowers her employees to do what they do best, and gets out of their way. This is the boss who keeps telling everyone the obvious and acts as if her employees are clueless, helpless and inexperienced. She may even talk very slow when explaining what needs to be done and communicating expectations almost in a condescending way. Employees find this management style both frustrating and insulting. A leader interviews and recruits the best people she can find and gives them all the room they need to grow.
People crave leadership – they don’t want to be told what to do, they don’t want to be under thumb, and they don’t want to be treated like subordinates. They want to be led by managers who possess those fundamental leadership skills such as Active Listening, conflict resolution and empowerment.