Just Being A Boss Doesn't Make You A Leader
by Dede Henley
Are you a “boss” or a “leader”? What’s the difference, anyway? The terms are often used interchangeably, but they don’t point to the same skill set at all.
A boss is someone who’s focused on the day-to-day operations, prioritizing things like scheduling, hiring, firing, supply management, processes, compliance — keeping the trains running and keeping people in line. Bosses are often guilty of micromanagement. They don’t trust people to be fully functioning adults.
You may be familiar with bosses like this. I had a boss early in my career who micromanaged the heck out of us. He dominated meetings by asserting his opinions and demanding that we listen as he droned on. We sat silently through each of these tortuous meetings, counting the minutes until it would end. None of us ever ventured to share an idea or new approach.
I learned more from this boss about the difference between being a boss and a leader than from any other person in my career. Specifically, I learned what not to do.
In contrast to the boss, a leader focuses on people, potential and possibilities. Leaders know the power of appreciation and acknowledgment, and they encourage people to grow and thrive. A leader has a clear vision of the future and is able to inspire others to take action to make this vision a reality. A leader understands collaboration and works with team members to achieve more than could be achieved alone.
To discern whether you are a boss or a leader, ask yourself these questions:
Where do I place my attention? Am I focused on the consequential and meaningful elements, like purpose, vision, mission and values? Or am I constantly consumed with the urgent and the trivial?
How do I work with others? Do I leave every person I engage with better as a result of our interaction? Or do they feel micromanaged?
How do I gather information? Am I open to new thoughts and ideas? Or do I think I know the best or right way to do things?
What is my relationship to well-being? Am I paying equal attention to the health of the organization and to the people in it as I do to the day-to-day of getting things done?
How do I decide and take action? Am I acting from emerging and new information? Is my team innovating and iterating enough? Or do I take action only based on the known and familiar?
Skills That Separate Leaders from Bosses
Evolving beyond “boss” to “leader” requires mastering the following five areas of skill-building:
Integrated Ideals. Employees can get too far down in the weeds and forget about the big picture. Integrated ideals help remind people of the larger mission they are part of. A leader creates and translates vision, mission and values into day-to-day work to help team members understand the big idea they are giving their time and energy to.
Productive Engagement. Leaders who engage productively with all team members earn respect and commitment. This means that you engage with others thoughtfully and considerately, as equals and partners. As a result, people feel more empowered and uplifted after engaging with you.
Intellectual Agility. Leaders who maintain intellectual agility are open to new ideas from all sources, whether they come from the front lines, customers, suppliers or the environment. Curiosity and openness are the hallmark. To build intellectual agility, train yourself to ask better questions and listen openly. Let go of thinking you know something.
Vital Fulfillment. Leaders who have skill in vital fulfillment attain professional success without sacrificing their personal life. They have a full life outside of work and, as a result, are “well used” rather than “used up.” It’s an expectation they set for others as well — they prioritize self and family care for themselves and their team members.
Innovative Action. Leaders who take innovative action can get people fully engaged and aligned on goals. The result is much faster decision-making and action-taking, and that creates strong, collective momentum. Embracing innovative action helps leaders reduce bureaucracy and hesitation, and it also creates an environment of curiosity and experimenting — of trying new ideas and abandoning those that aren’t working after reasonable effort.
Being a boss is a good starting place when you first enter into management. Becoming a leader requires a commitment to ongoing learning and a willingness to stretch beyond your comfort zone. And it’s a must for those who want to thrive.