William Prentice, Rhodes scholar, distinguished professor, and college president, defined leadership as “The accomplishment of a goal through the direction of human assistants”. He said that a successful leader is a person who can understand people’s motivations and enlist employee participation in a way that marries individual needs and interests to the group’s purpose.
Simply put, there is a marked distinction between being a boss and being a leader. Many differences exist between leaders and bosses. Anyone at any level of management should consistently look at their leadership styles and how those affect their followers. The impact of leadership can change the entire work environment of an organisation.
According to many studies and research, most often employees, regardless of their positions, skills, qualifications, or experience, quit jobs due to bad bosses. Being hired directly by an organisation as a manager or being promoted to a managerial position seems like a great accomplishment, but for many of them, the responsibility is more challenging than they usually anticipate.
Key differences
It is important for a manager to know that there are several key differences. He or she should analyse the leadership style that must be adapted in a specific situation to steer the team in the right direction. Even those who start with less effective management skills can also modify their actions and styles to become successful leaders. Leaders’ authority is completely based on their ability to influence others. In simple terms, bosses command, whereas leaders inspire.
In other words, a boss is there to ensure that subordinates follow the rules and regulations of the organisation and drive them towards a predetermined goal. On the other hand, the leader encourages and motivates his team members to find the best way forward and also helps them to maximise their potential. The leader exerts influence by caring for the team, making them follow the leader willingly just because they want to do so, not because they are forced to.
A boss hopes to ensure the assigned task of subordinates is carried out without problems. Usually, bosses are concerned about the result, but not whether the subordinate is mentally prepared or capable of executing the task. Even in this modern and well-informed environment, there are bosses who are only concerned about the completion of the task where they give little leverage on employee satisfaction.
Success necessitates passion, and workers cannot be easily motivated to give their best performance unless they desire to do so. Therefore, a good leader makes his team members excited about the task at hand by motivating them.
Discipline
Discipline is one of the most important elements in organisational success. A leader sees that employees are human and that they tend to make mistakes. Therefore, a good leader makes his subordinates understand the necessity and importance of discipline, rules and regulations, controls, and so forth. Good leaders use mentorship to discourage poor behaviour and educate employees on the benefits of the discipline for the employer and the employee. However, in comparison, bosses are more likely to use reward and punishment systems to enforce discipline.
There are bosses who are scared to delegate authority. Such superiors feel insecure and see delegation as a potential threat. Some of those are afraid of losing their grip as superiors. These types of leaders delegate only the task, not the authority.
Also, bosses focus on the objectives relevant to their own job and most often strictly follow protocol to achieve goals. They micromanage situations on a short-term basis by assigning only specific tasks and specified goals. There is no room for subordinates to think freely, innovate, or be creative.
In contrast, leaders feel comfortable delegating the task and the authority. They avoid nit-picking and prefer to see their subordinates develop. They influence the subordinates by communicating with empathy for the overall benefit of everyone in the organisation.
To be a leader, it is important to facilitate positive relationships with subordinates. The followers should appreciate, admire, and more importantly, trust the leaders explicitly. Hence, leaders are always a part of the team, while bosses tend to think that they are above them. Also, leaders let go of hierarchical distinctions and treat their subordinates as equal contributors whereas leaders view them as juniors.
Vision
With a better understanding of the behaviour of the team, the leaders can explain their vision and connect it with each person in the most effective manner. This means that the leader can personalise the way he motivates and influences team members. Good leaders are always genuine and loyal in their approach to subordinates. They express emotions without fear of connecting with subordinates.
It is necessary to find out how a boss can become a leader. In this context, the three key strategies to incorporate into the leadership approach are thoughtfulness, communication effectiveness, and a faultless understanding of the subordinate.
Thoughtfulness is the most important trait a leader should possess. A thoughtful leader genuinely concentrates on the impact of his actions on the people around him. They have the ability to empathise with others and deeply understand how others feel.
A good leader makes decisions based on the best interests of the subordinates while safeguarding the interests of the organisation. Subordinates trust thoughtful leaders and will voluntarily offer their best to help the leader.
In many instances, bosses cause nervousness in the workplace. They create stressful environments by being ‘bossy’ as most often they concentrate more on the ‘task’ than the human angle. This can have a direct or indirect impact on individual performance and productivity.
Enthusiastic workplace
Nothing, however, makes a good leader happier than an inspired and enthusiastic workplace where employees feel at ease in their assigned roles. In a happy environment, workplace stress is minimal and work efficiency is high. Hence, bosses with leadership qualities always create a safe work atmosphere and nurture subordinates.
Effective leaders are invariably good teachers. Employees not only obtain a great deal of knowledge from their superiors but also apply what they learn at later stages in their careers. Most successful leaders in business will endorse that one of the reasons for their success came from what they learnt from their former superiors.
Leaders teach how to perform a task in the most efficient way, while bosses expect their employees to know it. A good leader always attempts to develop an employee and show him the path to greatness rather than just teaching them day-to-day work. This requires patience to understand the subordinate properly and to educate them.
A manager, on the other hand, must use skills and human insight to grasp individual behaviour and direct it correctly. There are no shortcuts or tricks to achieve this. Leadership is more than mere understanding of others; it’s a much deeper concept in business and in life. Despite many management theories, in reality, anywhere in the world, at any given time, good leaders are admired by employees and entrepreneurs equally. They create the difference between success and failure in a business.