Every MBA institute in the country is trying hard, not just to mass produce people who’d boss around in the corporate world, but who would efficiently lead the business sector to its pinnacle.
All these successful managers, charming leaders, strong business influencers – these people are not your quintessential bosses who just bark orders and ask unnecessary questions. These are the people who inspire the greater lot to do things beyond their expectations. These are the people that the world is always on the lookout for.
So, what exactly differentiates these two breeds of people – leaders and bosses?
- If you’re just a boss, no one would be surprised at you throwing in orders. Get that done! Where’s that report? What’s taking you so long? But, if it’s leadership that you’re aiming at, this type of attitude just won’t suffice. Leadership, more than anything, is about being ready to do the work by themselves if the need so arises. Where a boss would seem to be overly dependent on the team, making him more anxious if the team doesn’t do well – a leader would be calm, patient, and cognizant of how everything exactly works, therefore not letting any panic set in.
- Team spirit is another important aspect of any successful venture, which is a leader you would understand better than anyone else. But if you’ve just been a petty boss to your team, you may as well put the blame of failure on one or more of the team members, and take the team’s success as a personal feat. The difference between being a boss and a leader also arises from the fact that the former isn’t very well acquainted with the weaknesses and capabilities of individual team members, while the latter always has their finger on the pulse of the team.
- While one would expect a boss to be all dominating, making his opinion a matter of fact without going into any discussion, the same can’t be said of a good leader. Taking opinions, understanding perspectives, seeing things from the point of view of other people, taking risks based on a teammate’s calculation, and such other things prove how brave the leader is. Again, finding a boss with no such leadership qualities would be extremely difficult to work with.
- Motivation is one of the biggest reasons behind the success and well being of any team, in any company. There are so many times people feel dejected, feel like all their hard work might not amount to much, that being dedicated might not have helped them in the end. And at times like these, you would expect the leader of the team to step up and remind them of why they ever started working on the project, why the obstacles do not matter, why their work does matter, and finally decide on what should be their next plan of action.
A leader understands that they are a part of the team, and not above them. Leaders know that they might not have all the information and knowledge, but they know well how to make use of all the information and resources that might available to them. Rather than bossing everyone around, they know how to effectively lead their team. And it doesn’t take just a good PGDM College in Ahmedabad or a top MBA institute to tell the difference, but it does usually take one to make a difference!
