If you’re in a managing role, you’re either a leader or a boss. You might think the two are interchangeable, but they are worlds apart.
A Leader vs. a Boss
A boss is a supervisor who oversees the team and has authority in the hierarchy of the company. You can be a boss without being a leader, which will have a big impact on the success or failure of your team.
A leader, the other hand, doesn’t always have to be a boss. However, a leader is someone who is looking out to support the goals of an organization, while enabling people to maximize their potential. They have vision and drive and tend to accomplish more because they work to get buy-in from the people on their team…rather than just bossing them around.
Some Other Key Differences
There are some other ways being a boss vs. being a leader are different, including:
- Communication. Bosses tend to rely on one-way communication. They tell an employee what to do and an employee is expected to deliver. Leaders, however, invite input, ideas and a conversation in order to achieve the best possible outcome.
- Relationships. Some bosses don’t invest the time to build an authentic relationship with those on their team. Leaders, however, know that to effectively motivate and manage people, they need to forge a relationship and look at employees as partners in mutual success.
- Delegation. Bosses tend to hover and make it hard for employees to make decisions on their own. Leaders, on the other hand, delegate tasks and offer employees autonomy, so they can free up their own time to focus on bigger-pictures jobs, strategy and innovation.
- Response to problems. Mistakes happen, but sometimes bosses will point the finger of blame and get angry. Supervisors or bosses tend to look for those to blame, while a leader looks deeper, into why the problem happened in the first place and how to avoid it in the future. It’s a lesson to be learned, rather than a failure.
Sometimes it’s easier to be a boss than a leader. However, your team will take a hit and so too will your company in the form of lost opportunities, lower productivity and less profits. Instead, aim to be a leader, so you can manage your people more effectively, bring out their best, and achieve company goals in the process.
Need help filling gaps on your team?
At Provisional Recruiting, we can partner with you to find and hire the right-fit talent. As a leading staffing agency serving Spokane and surrounding Northwest businesses, we are experts at sourcing, screening, and staffing strategy, so you can lead a strong team to a bright future. Learn more by contacting us today.