“Boss” is a job, “Leader” is a career.
Most successful people are the ones who control over the group of employees. But have you ever distinguished two terms? “Boss” and “Leader”, sound the same but totally different. Below are only some major differences.
Talk More or Listen More?
The boss holds a belief that he is always right and not willing to listen to any suggestion or explanation. Conversely, the leader tries to listen to others so as to get a view from different angles of an issue.
“I” or“We”?
While the boss focuses on himself, the leader is concerned about the whole team. To be more specific, the boss usually gives the answer and cares the result only, the leader seeks the solution and inspires the team members’ performances.
Blame or Take Responsibility?
A good leader is a person who takes a little more than his share of the blame and a little less than his share of the credit. — John C. Maxwell
So, do you usually blame on others or have a strong sense of responsibility towards your employees or team members?
Use People or Develop People?
If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. — John Quincy Adams
Many assume that the boss is good at using talented employees. Although it is literally true, the employees prefer being guided to develop themselves based on the mutual benefit of the company.
When surveyed, 76% of employees who don’t feel valued at work are seeking other job opportunities. (Source: Lifeworks)
Conclusion
There is no doubt that the leader may be the boss but the boss will never be the leader. If you are reading this article, you might be the employer. So let’s start creating the innovative working environment and adjusting your working style, which encourages employees developing themselves so as to dedicate to the company development.
Let your employees:
- Move forward: The business is often changing really fast, but the company should not be afraid of taking risks and questioning the status quo.
- Think differently: Self-organization gives employees the freedom to come up with new ideas that move the business forward, truly allowing them to drive the passion, grit and innovation needed to deliver happiness to customers, employees, community, vendors and shareholders in a long-term, sustainable way.
- Be their own leader: Your employees may be self-motivated, and they thrive off working with others who come from the same get-stuff-done mentality. They think like an entrepreneur, constantly innovating and driving positive change, but more importantly they consistently prove it through their actions. Let’s treat them like an adult, but let them have fun like a kid.
- Create value: Let them be able to clear the organizational barriers that stand between them and finding the solutions needed for meaningful change across the company. Help them check out their core values.
- Never be satisfied with ‘good enough’ and be pumped
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