The Difference Between A Boss And A Leader

There is a big difference between being a boss and being a leader. While both terms ultimately reflect an upper-level member of a team, they involve two completely different methods of management. In order to be successful in your role, you need to learn what it takes to be a leader, not a boss. The guide below explains how you can distinguish between these two roles so you can adjust your leadership skills accordingly.

Gaining Respect Without Being Disrespectful

There is nothing wrong with wanting respect when you are in charge. In fact, you need to earn respect from your employees if you are going to lead them properly. Nevertheless, you need to be careful about how you approach this situation. Rather than demanding respect because of your authority, earn people’s respect through smart ideas and proactive decision making. A true leader will naturally be respected by his peers because they know he has the business’s best interests in mind. Gain respect in your workplace without being disrespectful to your employees.

Boosting Productivity Without Overworking Your Staff

Every leader strives to make their employees more productive. After all, higher productivity leads to higher profit margins. With that in mind, you cannot sacrifice the morale of your staff just to push out a few extra loads in a day. There needs to be a balance between productivity and employee satisfaction. If your staff seems overworked, you may need to give them some time off or find a new way to get them motivated about work. If you all work together to keep a company productive, everyone will come out on top.

Supervising Without Nit-Picking

It is one thing to supervise a set of employees, but it is something else entirely when you start nit-picking everything they do. You are supposed to watch over the people working underneath you, but that does not mean that you can tell them what to do at all times. Sometimes you just have to let them do their jobs and check back with them in the end. Hovering will just make them nervous, especially if you are really critical of everything that they are doing. This will actually make them perform worse in the long run. Try to stay back and just watch over the work place like a supervisor should. Then you can step in when you are needed.

Final Thoughts

Being a leader is about much more than telling people what to do. It is your job to inspire your employees to do their best at all times. You cannot do that if you are focused on barking orders and demanding respect from people. Remember that you are part of the team as well, and you should be working with your team to help the business succeed. With the right frame of mind and the right attitude, you can make tremendous strides as a leader – not a boss.