You may be the boss. But don’t behave like a boss, if you can. If you behave like a boss, you would be ordering around. That is sure to attract some reactions from them…most of them might be negative in nature. Understand that there is a difference between a boss and a leader. It pays to a leader in the long run.
If you want to be a leader, you have to behave like one. As a boss, you may make demands on your subordinates. But, if you look at yourself as a leader, you may need to coach your subordinates before requesting them to perform their jobs. By doing that, you may win them over and expect cooperation from them.
The boss usually relies on his authority to get things done. But a leader relies on his leadership skill and goodwill to do that.
A boss usually issues ultimatums. Such an attitude does not find favour with the employees. A leader, on the other hand, motivates the employees and generates enthusiasm in them to do their jobs.
If you are someone who is egoistic and tries to take all the credit for the jobs done, you are being bossy. A leader always believes in a participative pattern of management. While the emphasis of the boss is on ‘I,’ the leader is happy to share the credit for the job with his employees. He believes in the concept of ‘We’ instead of ‘I.’
A boss tries to use the employees to get the job done. By contrast, a leader helps the employees to learn, grow, and develop their skills so that they may be more useful to the organisation in the time to come.
When something goes wrong, a boss will always try to find a scapegoat to dump the blame on. A leader rises to the occasion and accepts responsibility and blame for things that go wrong.
Bosses seldom consult others. They hand out orders and refuse to listen to what others have to say. For them, their way is the only way. But a leader would carry the whole team with him or her. A leader always believes that two heads are better than one. A leader is always receptive to suggestions and does not bother about where the suggestions are coming from. That helps build a team spirit and boosts the morale of the employees.
Some people manage to become bosses by a quirk of fate but to become a good leader one has to invest a lot on human values.
