Are You A Leader or A Boss?

How to know if a person is really a leader or just a boss? Do we label them based on their position? Does that mean that a person who has a higher position is already a leader?

Many of us thought that when a person is in a higher position regardless of how he got that position, he is already a leader without analyzing what is the difference between a leader and just a bossy person.

Many of us have been working in a company for more than five years. We meet different characters of people in every corner. We even labeled them based on their behaviors and on the determination they put on to their work. Sometimes we are amazed by them  who so generously shared their blessings without any occasion happening in any corner of the building. We will be shocked by how judgmental others are. Often, we feel dishonesty  and degraded by most people we trusted with our career in the first place.

Life is not fair, I know that. But, being humiliated  by the person you thought a leader in principle is a traumatic thing you could experience.

Career growth is satisfying and fulfilling. A person who has goals doesn’t want to be stagnant. Licensed or unlicensed professionals have the right to grow professionally and that person should act professionally too. One of the fundamental canon  for licensed professionals is to build their professional reputation on the merit of their services and shall not compete unfairly with others.  But what would you feel if  a person you thought was your leader was a hindrance to your career growth who happens to be unlicensed? If you meet this kind of person, there’s another fundamental canon he should apply. He should continue his professional development throughout his career, and shall provide opportunities for the personal development of those professionals under his supervision without unfairly treating anyone.

I have no objection to those people who have no license to practice their profession. It’s just that they should know where to stand and not let their insecurities affect the emotional and mental health of others who are just working professionally.

Be a LEADER or a BOSS. Choose what you are. Know the difference.

In a simple word, what is a Leader?

Everyone knows what leadership is, but few can articulate what it truly means. 

A leader is someone who people follow. A leader has authority. For a people to accept a leader, her or his leadership must therefore be LEGITIMATE.

Do you know the qualities of a leader? Let us know.

Effective leaders focus on developing their emotional intelligence. Leaders that work to refine this quality are more adaptive, resilient, and accepting of feedback from others. They are also effective listeners and open to change.

They are self-aware and prioritize personal development.

If you do not have this quality, there are behaviors that will help you focus on your self-awareness and personal development to develop this important leadership quality.

• Set goals, prioritize goals, and take responsibility for accomplishing them. Also, take responsibility for falling short of your stated goals or making mistakes along the way.
• Successful leaders focus on the big picture, avoid distractions, and don’t get bogged down by small, tactical details. Practice these behaviors to promote effective management of your time and attention.

• Set boundaries between personal and professional lives. Remember that your organization will follow your lead-if they see you working long into the night, they will assume that they have to do the same.
• Retain awareness of your strengths, weaknesses, and any potential sources of bias that may impact your thinking and decision-making. Conduct self-assessments and seek feedback from your team, and set improvement of goals with measurable targets in areas where you have room to grow.
• Accept that things can and will go wrong. This anticipation will help you respond in a thoughtful way that does not make a difficult situation even worse.

They focus on developing others. They encourage strategic thinking, innovation, and action.

This leadership quality builds on the principles of the situational leadership theory, which suggests that effective leaders adapt to whether an individual or group is ready, willing, and able to take specific action. Delegating, coaching, and mentoring are important tasks for situational leadership.

How You Can Improve:

These behaviors will help you demonstrate leadership ability by developing others within an organization.

• Recruit and develop a team with diverse skills and backgrounds, and give the team members both the tools and the space to build trust among each other.
• As a coach, show empathy as well as strength. Effective leaders know how to be assertive and kind at the same time.
• Delegating responsibility can be harder than completing the task yourself, but this allows you to see what a team is capable of doing. Accomplishing difficult tasks helps a team build confidence and continue its path to growth.
• Make genuine connections with those outside your organization. Actively seek out people who will make your team stronger, even if their expertise doesn’t perfectly match the needs you have at the moment.
• Make training a priority within your organization-and balanceit with a culture that allows team members to thrive. As famously said,”Train people enough so they can leave, but treat them well enough so they don’t want to.”

They encourage strategic thinking, innovation, and action.

“As a leader, you have to look forward. You have to think about where the organization is going.” Goode says.

Leaders must consider international organizational factors, such as product roadmaps and staffing needs, as well as external factors, including government regulations and technology advancement, when making strategic business decisions.

How You Can Improve:

Emphasizing the following behaviors will help develop leadership qualities related to strategic thinking, innovation, and action.

• Maintain a flexible mindset and be willing to try new ideas. This is especially true for leaders and startups, where company goals are frequently changing and rigid plans may be hard to follow.
• Take genuine interest in your company and the business it operates in. Your team will feed off your enthusiasm for what you do-or else take the wrong cues from your apathy.
• Focus on the future, understand that change is occurring all sound you, and maintain a positive outlook.
• Encourage creativity and innovation in your team through exercises such as brainstorming or prototyping. Let business lines explore new ideas based on the output of these exercises.
• Set practical vision and suitable targets for your company. Consider SMART goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely.
• Make informed decisions. Leaders often have to make risky decisions, but you must be able to justify the course of action you are taking. Your team will take notice if you are making reckless decisions-and they will be likely to follow your lead.

They are ethical and civic-minded.

Strong leaders consider the ethical consequences of the decisions that they make-for both their customers and their teams.

How You Can Improve:

Taking these behaviors into account will increase your awareness of ethical practice and civic-mindedness, which reflects personal concern for the benefit of your entire organization and the community as a whole.

• Use your power and authority appropriately. Remember the old saying: Honesty is the best policy. When leaders are honest with employees, they reciprocate this trust, and the entire organization operates with integrity.
• Be open, transparent, and authentic. Your team should know what it is getting from you no matter their circumstances.
• Recognize the emotions that your team members are experiencing. Praise those who are succeeding and encourage those who are struggling. Never berate team members, publicly or privately.
• Take responsibility for your mistakes, and expect that of others on your team. But don’t stop there. Take the next step and make things right, even if it will hurt your organization’s integrity and reputation will outweigh any short-term costs you might incur.

They practice effective cross-cultural communication.

Respected leaders are able to clearly communicate with individuals, business units, the entire company, and to stakeholders outside the organization. In an increasingly global economy, leaders must also acknowledge and respect different communication traditions.

How You Can Improve:

Practicing these behaviors will help leaders increase the effectiveness of their communication.

• Explain everything from organizational golas to specific tasks and objectives in concise language. If anyone on the team is unaware of your expectations and falls short of meeting them, you are at fault for failing to express those expectations. Communicate these goals and targets frequently so that everyone in the organization knows what you, and they are working toward.
• Understand the nuances of communicating over the phone, via email, and on social media. Identify your strengths and weaknesses for each mode of communication and work to improve where necessary.
• Embrace enthusiasm, confidence, inspiration, and excitement when you communicate. Optimistic leaders show that they believe their organization is working toward a better future, and that they value team members’ contributions to achieve that goal.
• Adapt your communication style to different cultural traditions when necessary. Some cultures expect explicit, specific messages, while others tend to rely on context between the lines. Some cultures also show emotion more readily than others.
• Remember that listening is just as critical to communicating as talking. Take time to hear what others are saying-and make not of what they are not Ask follow-up questions if you dont understand what they are trying to convey.

Some people might use the terms “boss” and “leader” interchangeably, but that’s not entirely accurate.

The truth is, some bosses are simply that – a boss. They have attained a position in the management section of the corporate pyramid, a nice office and a designated parking space. They make decisions that affect the direction of the company and often control how money is spent. However, those characteristics alone don’t make them leaders.

Bosses can become leaders and doing so should become a priority for those who want to effectively lead in the workplace. 

What are the characteristics of being a BOSS?

• Bosses Push. Bosses tend to push employees instead of directing them. This type of manager tends to never make decisions, which forces employees to work without guidance and expectations while their manager hides behind a wall of inaction.

While true leaders lead. Leaders frequently present ideas and work alongside their employees. They clearly communicate objectives to the team and their actions are aimed at achieving goals together. This is the difference between inspiring team members and losing their respect. When a team has confidence in a leader, it can help improve team culture and motivate employees to contribute.

• Bosses tend to dominate conversations. They expect employees to listen and carry out their commands, with little or no direction. This type of attitude is not a sound approach to building a team of engaged employees who want to be valued for their knowledge and skills.

On the other hand, good leaders spend time listening to their employees rather than talking above them. They understand the value of seeking and incorporating the opinions of others into the decision-making process.

• Bosses tend to scold and may even threaten their employees. 

A time and place exists for communicating wrongdoing and corrective action. However, the vast majority of matters involving an employee can be handled with a dose of constructive criticism,  not harsh scolding, whether in private or in front of peers.

Bosses tend to scold and may even threaten their employees which can leave them feeling concerned, embarrassed and defeated. 

Leaders offer sound advice in a private setting and can deliver discipline too. Their approach in doing so should be a learning experience for employees to redirect their efforts away from what is not working.

• Bosses won’t invest time. Some bosses-especially those who have chosen favorites- tend to ignore a majority of their employees. This can give other workers the sense they are drifting with an uncertain future.

Leaders on the other hand, don’t ignore. They invest time and effort into developing employees in their profession, teaching them new skills and helping them advance in their careers.

 

Effective leadership is increasingly important in the workplace, as more and more employees are leaving great companies over one resolvable element-bad bosses. According to the recent study, nearly half of all professionals surveyed have quit a job because of a bad boss.

How do you go from boss to leader?

To be a good leader, you can incorporate key strategies into your behaviour. Experts listed three of these as thoughtfulness, communication and clear expectations for your employees.

Treating the employees with thoughtfulness . A good leader conducts their decision-making process based on the best interest of the team as well as the company.

“Leaders who lead for impact think first of their followers.” They know that if they are doing what is in the best interest of their followers, it will bring great results for the followers and the organization.

Leaders should incorporate good communication by listening to their teams. A listening leader will hear how to make an organization better through the words of their team.

“Listening leaders grow in influence and impact, while those who neglect to listen to their team will struggle with disengaged employees who won’t listen.” A leader who wants to be listened to should practice listening to their people.

Whether you see yourself as a boss or a leader, the key to success is your staff seeing as fair in your approach toward the,. Set fair, clear employee expectations and be consistent in your manners so yor staff knows what they can expect from you.

This is essential in the workplace, as one of the greatest causes of employee stress is not knowing what to expect from their manager. Frequent changes in focus and conflicting priorities will leave staff feeling anxious. However, effective communication and a clear goal will ensure that teams all pull in the same direction.