"Dad, Are you a Boss or a Leader?” asked my 14 year old Son. “Why
do you ask?” taken by surprise I inquired. “Well, there was a question
on this in my English Test. And none of us in my class knew the exact
difference between the two. As you’ve been managing for years, I thought you’d
know,” he replied. I thought for a while, thought of all Bosses I’ve worked
with in my 19+ years career. I didn’t even remember many... but few special moments
with couple of them had etched in my memory. “Is this the difference?” I asked
myself. But before answering him, I decided to put this question to couple of
Managers I know. Though they gave their versions, but I sensed lack of clarity
on this. And then it occurred to me to revive this forum sharing my own
thoughts on this topic.
The terms ‘Boss’
and ‘Leader’ are not synonyms, but nor are these antonyms. While a Leader can
be a Boss, not every Boss is a Leader. Every team has a Boss, but they really
need a Leader. A Leader is considered the one who influences surroundings
and people (not necessarily reporting to him) to attain desired objectives. Exceptional leadership
begins with a positive view of people and ends with remarkable accomplishments.
A Leader listens, trusts, inspires, motivates, guides, mentors, coaches, and is
always a great partner in his peoples’ journey of success. While a Boss can get
things done (through his team) today, a Leader can get things done today, tomorrow, day-after and
after. Many Bosses often set their team up to fail (acting as a
disabler), whereas all the Leaders always set their people up for success (acting
as an enabler). A Leader is always considered as a part of the group
and believed to encourage by creating the footsteps to follow. Bosses often
just give orders from pedestal (and tend to rule by fear), while Leaders
lead from the front and lead by example.
A Boss may have high IQ
but often lacks EQ. A Leader possesses both. A Boss only sees things in black
and white, while a Leader also sees the grey. A Boss demotivates with
impassiveness, while a Leader inspires with caring and empathy. Leaders
define a set of core values for themselves and live these values in their
everyday life. They are genuine to themselves, their team, their work, their
customers, and their surroundings. They treat everyone fairly and equally. In
the roller coaster of ups and downs, while Bosses scream (and intimidate
into action), the Leaders remain cool, calm and composed, and enjoy the
ride (and motivate to action).
So, how would you evaluate your management style? Are you a Boss or a Leader? What about your Manager? And the guy sitting in the corner office on your floor?
The terms ‘Boss’
and ‘Leader’ are not synonyms, but nor are these antonyms. While a Leader can
be a Boss, not every Boss is a Leader. Every team has a Boss, but they really
need a Leader. A Leader is considered the one who influences surroundings
and people (not necessarily reporting to him) to attain desired objectives. Exceptional leadership
begins with a positive view of people and ends with remarkable accomplishments.
A Leader listens, trusts, inspires, motivates, guides, mentors, coaches, and is
always a great partner in his peoples’ journey of success. While a Boss can get
things done (through his team) today, a Leader can get things done today, tomorrow, day-after and
after. Many Bosses often set their team up to fail (acting as a
disabler), whereas all the Leaders always set their people up for success (acting
as an enabler). A Leader is always considered as a part of the group
and believed to encourage by creating the footsteps to follow. Bosses often
just give orders from pedestal (and tend to rule by fear), while Leaders
lead from the front and lead by example. 
A Boss may have high IQ
but often lacks EQ. A Leader possesses both. A Boss only sees things in black
and white, while a Leader also sees the grey. A Boss demotivates with
impassiveness, while a Leader inspires with caring and empathy. Leaders
define a set of core values for themselves and live these values in their
everyday life. They are genuine to themselves, their team, their work, their
customers, and their surroundings. They treat everyone fairly and equally. In
the roller coaster of ups and downs, while Bosses scream (and intimidate
into action), the Leaders remain cool, calm and composed, and enjoy the
ride (and motivate to action).
One of the key factors
that differentiate a Leader from a Boss is personal humility. A Boss, in the
aggressive pursuit of recognition, tends to hog the limelight when things run
smoothly but points fingers as soon as the ball drops. Leaders, on the other
hand, credit others for their success and blame themselves for small bumps
along the road to greatness. ‘I’, ‘Me’, ‘Myself’ – These are the 3 magic words
that Leaders use only when stuck in mud of Failure, while Bosses sing this song
only when standing on a Victory Podium. The journey from being a ‘Boss’ to be a
‘Leader’ is same as the journey from Illness(‘I’) to Wellness (‘We’).
A Leader is a great
Strategist. He has a clear vision, mission, and a well-defined action plan to
execute in pursuit of the mission. A Boss gets lost in the details and just
manages to an end, while the Leader keeps the big picture and serves for a
purpose. Leaders are not arrogant nor embarrassed to learn from their juniors.
At the same time, they are always eager to teach and nurture new professionals.
They don’t spoon-feed people but provide them with adequate knowledge and trainings, so that they become an important part of self-sufficient and
self-driven task force. Leaders create a fear-free environment and encourage
team members to take calculated risks to embrace ambiguities and think out of
the box . They are great Execuvators and always follow the ‘Fail often, Fail fast and
Fail cheap’ mantra. Leaders know how to multiply the chances of their
success using the powerful tool of Effective Delegation.
Leaders are collaborative, flexible, and
receptive. They very well understand that success in collaborative efforts is a
multi-dimensional affair, not solely defined by ‘Results’ (goal or task
accomplished), but also by ‘Process’ (the way or spirit in which effort
is carried out) and ‘Relationship’ (the quality of the connections among
the people engaged in the effort). While a Boss is mostly concerned with
outcomes, a Leader feels responsible for the process of that outcome and the
people who see it out. The Leader understands the value of timely and periodic
recognition, appreciation and admiration. All ‘great’ organizations embrace
collaborative Leaders more than ‘lone wolf’ Bosses.
So, how would you evaluate your management style? Are you a Boss or a Leader? What about your Manager? And the guy sitting in the corner office on your floor?
