Leadership: Following the star

The difference between a boss and a leader is not just a matter of semantics � it is all about attitude

Suddenly, being the boss may not sound so good. For, there’s another designation that most people would kill for – being a leader. But what exactly is the difference between the boss and a leader? Can you be one and not the other? Sure. A boss may necessarily not be a leader, while a leader will most definitely be someone his people consider a boss.

Often time, in the pursuit of targets and deadlines, several of us leading teams lose sight of ultimately being the leader and end up being just the boss -- which means pushing the team towards the goal, rather than “leading” them towards the same. In simple words, the boss uses more “I” and the leader is partial towards “we”.

 

It is fascinating to see how many people will follow a person they put their faith in and go out on a limb for. That is the characteristic of a leader – to make people see the goal and how it is attainable. And this is where the art of communication plays a crucial role. A true leader has the ability to not only tell the fascinating story only about where success lies but also how to go about it.

Not to say being a boss is a vile word. He works relentlessly, trying to set goals and objectives for his team, making sure there are no hurdles on the way and pointing out if there’s a mistake somewhere. However, a boss can achieve so much more by being a leader. For, a leader will not only point out the mistake but also help you correct it. Look around you, the course of history everywhere has been changed only by leaders and people who have followed them.

Sociologists like to point out that while a boss works with those above his team, a leader works with those below him. Because of this, the leader not plays on the ambitions of his team, but also tugs at their emotions, which makes all the difference during tough times and tight deadlines. That is because a leader inspires his team to excel, put in that extra hard work, give it that one last shot.

So what category are you in?