6 Characteristics That Separate A Boss From A Leader

6 Characteristics That Separate A Boss From A Leader

1. Leaders listen and speak rather than command.

2. Leaders motivate rather than terrify.

3. Leaders teach and learn rather than expect and ignore.

4. Leaders take part rather than stay aside.

5. Leaders reprimand rather than scold or shout.

6. Leaders establish equal relationships.

While a leader can be a boss, not every boss is a leader. Although leaders and bosses have nearly identical definitions, in effect, they are different in today’s competitive world. Just the term “leader” evokes more positivity than that of “boss.” However, when people dream of getting to higher positions in life, business or politics, they dream more about being bosses than leaders. A possible explanation for this is that being a leader requires much more responsibility in a job than being a boss, seeing as being
the boss doesn’t necessarily require going above and beyond to impress a superior.

While a boss is mostly concerned with outcomes, a leader feels responsible for the process of that outcome and the people who see it out.

å Check out some major points that distinguish a leader from a boss:

Throughout history, the best chiefs headed their troops in fights or campaigns or whatever. The troops were not afraid because their leader was right there with them. Leaders are there to lead the team forward and to move together.

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. 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.

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. A true leader is the person who has self-esteem, but who is not arrogant nor
embarrassed to learn from those with lower titles. They know that it is never late to learn more.

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.