Have you ever bossed your business into achieving its greatest potential?
Probably not. Instead, that success likely came through you as a quality leader who inspired teams of people to commit their best to the job every day.
As it goes in the marines, “officers eat last,” and there’s a reason for this too. An officer will choose to get food after their subordinate marines to demonstrate what leadership looks like and set an example of selflessness and camaraderie for all to follow – literally – to the trenches.
Like these marines, business owners and employees alike must understand the value of leadership over management to help them succeed in the trenches of today’s marketplace.
So, what are the differences between a leader and a boss? Here, we’ll explore a few examples to guide you to great leadership in your business.
“Marine leaders are expected to eat last because the true price of leadership is the willingness to place the needs of others above your own. Great leaders truly care about those they are privileged to lead and understand that the true cost of the leadership privilege comes at the expense of self-interest.” Simon Sinek
Leadership is an Attitude. A Boss Fills a Position.
Perhaps one of the biggest leadership myths is that to be a leader you have to be in a high-ranking position.
We’d like to argue that.
A leader can be any business employee, from the janitor to the associate to the senior executive.
Why? Because leadership is an attitude.
A leader is someone who leads with humility and empathy for others. They motivate others through vision casting and empowering them to fulfill their potential. A leader knows that their power comes through passion and not the role they are in.
A boss, on the other hand, is someone who fills a management role. They enforce organization among the team, issue orders, and monitor progress to ensure a quota is met.
Leadership Step: Hold one-on-one meetings with your employees where you share and celebrate their successes. This is not a performance review but simply a conversation. This will motivate them to continue performing well and help you assume the attitude of a leader.
“A leader…is like a shepherd. He stays behind the flock, letting the most nimble go out ahead, whereupon the others follow, not realizing that all along they are being directed from behind.” – Nelson Mandela
A Leader Motivates Intrinsically. A Boss Motivates Extrinsically.
The idea that employees are only motivated by a biweekly paycheck is false.
More and more, employees desire to work toward something bigger than themselves. They want to work for an organization with strong, meaningful values that align with their own. Most importantly, they want to know why they are doing what they are doing.
An effective leader knows how to motivate employees intrinsically. They are effective vision casters who show employees the greater picture of what they are doing and how their roles and responsibilities contribute to the greater good. Leaders build trust and loyalty among team members and unite them toward a common purpose.
On the reverse, a boss motivates employees to work by issuing tasks and orders with the promise of extrinsic rewards like a bi-weekly paycheck, yearly promotion, and paid time off. A boss’ goal is to achieve an agenda and hit company benchmarks by ensuring each employee fulfills their duties.
Leadership Step: Schedule a meeting for the sole purpose of casting your vision over your people. Share with them why they are doing what they are doing and what the bigger goal is. Let your passion show and encourage them to share in that vision casting and provide feedback and new ideas.
“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader.” – John Quincy Adams
“Managers light a fire under people; leaders light a fire in people.” – Kathy Austin
A Leader Collaborates. A Boss Dictates.
If you’ve ever heard of Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis, it’s likely thanks to his inspiring leadership.
As the story goes, Mattis witnessed a small group of subordinating marines digging in the trenches, filling sandbags, and performing other manual labor. Mattis – a high-ranking official – dug in to assist, enlisting his fellow officers with the words, “Everyone fills sandbags in this unit.”
Like Mattis, a leader will make him or herself a member of the team. Leaders quickly identify a need and sacrifice their time, effort, and status to help wherever needed. In doing so, they show commitment to the work, more fully understand and empathize with challenges, and set a working example for employees.
A boss may also insert him or herself into the team – but often to dictate tasks and rules or micromanage. They are hesitant to grant full autonomy to team members to complete a project, yet unwilling to commit to the work themselves.
Leadership Step: Schedule recurring time in your calendar to intentionally set aside your responsibilities. During that time, find a project or task you can assist an employee with to show them that their work matters and to give you a better understanding of the work at hand.
“The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.” – Ronald Reagan
Making the Choice
Your decision to be a leader or a boss will directly affect your business’ outcomes and your employees’ commitment.
Being a leader is a decision that you have to make every day. It takes hard work and guts to choose to be a servant leader, a vision caster, and a team collaborator.
But is it always wrong to be a boss? Well, no. Often a boss is necessary to establish order in the business or team. They are needed to ensure quotas are met and business is moving forward as intended.
Just be careful that your leadership shows through when you are needed to provide empathy, inspiration, and passion, and to drive unity among employees in a way that moves your business – and them – forward.
“A boss creates fear, a leader confidence. A boss fixes blame, a leader corrects mistakes. A boss knows all, a leader asks questions. A boss makes work drudgery, a leader makes it interesting. A boss is interested in himself or herself, a leader is interested in the group.” – Russell H. Ewing
