1. Leaders lead rather than rule.

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.

2. Leaders listen and speak rather than command.

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.

3. Leaders motivate rather than terrify.

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.

4. Leaders teach and learn rather than expect and

ignore.

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. A good leader is not greedy for sharing knowledge and experience
with someone else; instead, the leader teaches and nurtures new professionals.

5. Leaders take part rather than stay aside.

While bosses choose to stay aside in the job, leaders take initiative. They watch over the
progress of work, make adjustments where necessary and aid team members. They
choose to be a part of the team rather than bossing the team around.

6. Leaders reprimand rather than scold or shout.

When necessary, a leader offers constructive criticism. However, a leader never scolds
or shouts at any individual, especially in public. They do understand that they are
dealing with people and no one has right to humiliate others. Rather, the leader talks to
the person individually and without any spike in temper.

7. Leaders establish equal relationships.

Anyone who has ever worked on a team knows what it feels like when the manager
chooses his favorites and non-favorites. It always causes stress and tension among
team members which compromises productivity.
A good leader tries to treat everyone equally and to not allow personal preferences
affect the team dynamic.

During your life, you will face two kinds of managers: leaders and bosses. It does not
matter how high the position of these individuals; bossy people are more likely to fail
while those who lead will succeed.
Maybe the things I mentioned above do not make any sense for you now, but eventually,
you will experience the difference and garner a greater understanding of which manager
you prefer for your own professional life.

Key Difference: Leaders are people that are responsible for

inspiring, guiding and leading a group of people on a path for
a common cause. A boss is a person who is in charge of the
work place.

A leader and a boss can be the same thing or two different things depending on the qualities that a
person has. A leader could be the boss or a boss could be a leader, while it could be the complete
opposite where a leader is not a boss, nor is a boss a leader. Not all bosses are leaders, but they both
play an important role in our lives.

Leaders are people that are responsible for inspiring, guiding and
leading a group of people on a path for a common cause. A leader is someone who is looked upon and is
followed blindly. He is expected to listen to only the people and nothing else. A leader is also believed to
be the good for the people and not only looking for his benefit. The leader is essentially idolized.
Dictionary.com defines a leader as, a person or thing that leads; a guiding or directing head. The leader
is responsible for commanding a group of people, without being pushy and is always considered as a part
of the group. He is believed to have features such as innovation, inspiration, guidance, strength, a vision.
He is believed to be smart, charming, original, good, etc. A leader should always lead the person in the

right direction and is always almost just. A leader is believed to be working for the benefit of the people is
a trusting person.

A boss is a person who is in charge of the work place. He could be directly the head of the company, or
he could be the manager. The boss always has someone to answer to, just like the employees have the
boss to answer to. So a boss always has a boss and sometimes it could be people in general. For
example, an employee at a manufacturing company answers to the manager, while the manager answers
to the director, the director to the CEO, while the CEO has to answer to the shareholder, which are
general public. Bosses are believed to be working for monetary purposes and do not always care for the
well-being of the people, they are always looking to exploit more people, while trying to pay the least
amount possible. Bosses acquire authority and respect from fear and always have the last say.
Dictionary.com defines boss as, a person who makes decisions, exercises authority, dominates, etc; a
person who employs or superintends workers; manager.

A boss could be a leader and could inspire his people, while taking active suggestions. In short, the
happier his employees are, the more productive they are, resulting in more benefit for the company.
However, bosses are known to always promote fear, while leaders are known to inspire and lead. A leader
is believed to encourage by creating the footsteps to follow, however bosses demand the people work
under them and pushes them to work harder. Bosses often just give orders, while leaders lead by
example. A leader is considered to be more effective compared to a boss, as they are more productive
compared to just following orders.

The most successful is a mix of both a leader and a boss, while sometimes only authority does the trick, it
is best to ensure that the bosses believe in their employees and lead them by inspiring them. A leaders
authority and power are in the hands of the people, while the boss authority is not.

Differences as listed by management books:

Leader

Boss

Inspires employees

Drives employees

Depends on respect and honor

Depends on authority

Cares for your well-being

Cares for your productivity level

Says We

Says I

Inspires enthusiasm

Inspires fear

Gives credit

Takes credit

Says Lets go

Says Go

Asks

Orders

Knows how it is done

Shows how it is done

In fast paced, high stress business environments it can be all too easy sometimes for
leaders to slip into what I call Boss Man mode.
What I mean by that is that they stop being a leader, and start acting like a boss.
A boss who supervises a staff.
The staff reports to the boss, just like it says on the organizational chart.
And they do exactly what the boss says, because, of course, Hes the boss!
In other words, the leader becomes a not-so-pleasant person that creates a not-soenjoyable work environment, and brings progress to a screeching halt.
Therefore its really important that we recognize the 15 most significant differences
between Boss Man syndrome and real leadership, so we can avoid a rapid descent into
mediocrity or failure.

A boss only sees things in black and white, while the leader also sees the
grey

A boss likes to tell, while the leader prefers to teach

A boss likes being on a pedestal, above the fray, while the leader likes to
be among those they lead

A boss gets lost in the details, while the leader keeps the big picture

A boss rules by fear, while the leader inspires with trust

A boss displays great hubris, while the leader shows quiet humility

A boss likes to talk, while the leader prefers to listen

A boss wants to dictate, while the leader would rather collaborate

A boss outlines the What, while the leader also always explains the
Why

A boss thinks first about profit, while the leader thinks first about people

A boss gets lost in process, while the leader gets absorbed in performance

A boss is a disabler, while the leader is an enabler

A boss criticizes, while the leader coaches

A boss manages to an end, while the leader serves for a purpose

A boss demotivates with impassiveness, while a leader inspires with caring

& empathy

Keep this list handy, or better yet, post it on your personal bulletin board as you
continue on your leadership journey, so you can recognize any Boss Man tendencies
and stop them in their tracks.
BE a leader, not a boss!

A young manager accosted me the other day. Ive been reading all about leadership, have implemented
several ideas, and think Im doing a good job at leading my team. How will I know when Ive crossed over
from being a manager to a leader? he wanted to know.
I didnt have a ready answer and its a complicated issue, so we decided to talk the next day. I thought
long and hard, and came up with three tests that will help you decide if youve made the shift from
managing people to leading them.
Counting value vs Creating value. Youre probably counting value, not adding it, if youre managing
people. Only managers count value; some even reduce value by disabling those who add value. If a
diamond cutter is asked to report every 15 minutes how many stones he has cut, by distracting him, his
boss is subtracting value.
By contrast, leaders focuses on creating value, saying: Id like you to handle A while I deal with B. He or
she generates value over and above that which the team creates, and is as much a value-creator as his or
her followers are. Leading by example and leading by enabling people are the hallmarks of action-based
leadership.
Circles of influence vs Circles of power. Just as managers have subordinates and leaders have
followers, managers create circles of power while leaders create circles of influence.
The quickest way to figure out which of the two youre doing is to count the number of people outside your
reporting hierarchy who come to you for advice. The more that do, the more likely it is that you are
perceived to be a leader.
Leading people vs Managing work. Management consists of controlling a group or a set of entities to
accomplish a goal. Leadership refers to an individuals ability to influence, motivate, and enable others to
contribute toward organizational success. Influence and inspiration separate leaders from managers, not
power and control.
In India, M.K. Gandhi inspired millions of people to fight for their rights, and he walked shoulder to
shoulder with them so India could achieve independence in 1947. His vision became everyones dream
and ensured that the countrys push for independence was unstoppable. The world needs leaders like him
who can think beyond problems, have a vision, and inspire people to convert challenges into
opportunities, a step at a time.
I encouraged my colleague to put this theory to the test by inviting his team-mates for chats. When they
stop discussing the tasks at hand and talk about vision, purpose, and aspirations instead, thats when
you will know you have become a leader.
Agree?