Leader vs Boss

Hear people saying that a leader can always be a boss but not every boss can be a leader? Although leaders and bosses have nearly identical definitions, in effect, they are different in today’s competitive world.

Westhill Consulting and Employment, differentiates the two. 

Just the term “leader” evokes more positivity than that of “boss.” 

While a boss is mostly concerned with outcomes, a leader is concerned with the overall process and the people who work for the outcome. A study conducted in Jakarta, Indonesia even showed that many people prefer a good leader than a good boss but on a different study, when people dream of getting more advances in the future, what they visualize is having a characteristic of a boss. 

1. Leaders lead rather than rule.

We all know that we prefer someone who does an example first rather than someone who just demands and boss around. Of course, we can expect some complaints when our leader invokes rules and don’t follow it. We like it more if our leader experiences what we do since we are more likely to follow when he can relate to us. 

2.  Leaders listen and speak rather than command.

Bosses tend to give orders; they need their employees to listen and to obey. However, leaders always listen to the opinions of their colleagues and regard them as important.

Leaders are always ready for advising, discussion and any feedback an employee has to offer. This reciprocity makes any individual employee feel stronger and gives him or her confidence to follow the leader.

3. Leaders motivate

While working on projects, people have their ups and downs. Through this roller coaster, bosses are more likely to intimidate into action while leaders will motivate to action. Those who demand and demand are the ones who are annoying and irritating. 

One of the best things about leaders is that they offer empathy and prepare a group for the tasks at hand. This is very important, seeing as whenever colleagues are not prepared for certain duties, leaders are there to support, teach and back them up. Leaders know that each employee is on the team for a reason and they have faith in every concerted effort.

4. Leaders learn and teach

A true leader is someone who stays humble and admits that they have more to learn. Reviewing mistakes and correcting them so as not to repeat them is a true leader’s strength.

This explains the tendency of leaders to always pay attention to their colleagues, knowing there is always more to learn from them. Moreover, leaders are not only takers, but givers, as well. A good leader is not greedy for sharing knowledge and experience with someone else; instead, the leader teaches and nurtures new professionals.