Management 101: Are You a Boss or a Leader?

Are You a Boss or a Leader

In last week’s video, I touched on “being a leader”, starting with not engaging in the office gossip and providing an objective, bigger picture perspective. However, there are many other qualities that differentiate a “boss” from a leader. I’ve worked for may different types of managers, some better than others. But the leaders I’ve worked for always left me feeling inspired to do more, to do better and strive for success. Today I’ve got what I’d consider the top 3 most differentiating characteristics.

1) Intimidation or Inspiration
Rather than intimidate with punitive measures, a true leader sees the need to explain to the team the goals and objectives, why we are doing it and the positive results if they follow your lead. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes performance issues need to be resolved with punitive measures but that should never be a managers go-to position. If someone is struggling with following a particular process or procedure, you need to spend one-on-one time with that person to find out what obstacles might be in their way preventing them from complying.

2) Micromanagement versus Autonomy
Some managers, especially for those who practice intimidation tactics, tend to micromanage and criticize their their team. If all you see are the negatives, then you will ruin the morale of your group which is the antithesis to productivity. You will likely also find yourself struggling with retaining strong, trustworthy employees. A leader empowers their employees to make decisions for themselves, take calculated risks and ask questions when faced with uncertainty. To foster this sense of autonomy, when an employee comes to me with a problem or generally sticky situation, once I get the all of the facts, my next question is “How do you think we should handle this?” Whenever possible, when it makes sense, I will allow my employees to proceed with their own suggestions. I want to be involved as a resource to my team when they need me but give them the breathing room and confidence to come to their own conclusions.

3) Hearing versus Listening
There is a difference between hearing someone and actually listening. Often times, inexperienced managers will hear you but don’t solicit feedback, they don’t ask questions and ultimately they don’t take action. To me, there is nothing more frustrating than when I take what I believe to be a legitimate concern, that requires their attention and absolutely nothing happens. If you want to be a leader, you need to ask questions and help develop an action plan toward a resolution. Sometimes the solution is just explaining the bigger picture to your concerned employee. It’s possible that changing the status quo is not an option. But this goes back to number 1, and explaining the “why.”

In closing folks, while I’m most definitely not the perfect leader, it’s always my goal to lead. Generally speaking, I try to view my employees as my customers. I’m their to support, remove obstacles, set the expectation. Many customers need to hear that what they see as their needs aren’t quite right, and here’s why, or perhaps it’s a matter of educating the customer. Sadly, sometimes you have to cut ties with customers because they just aren’t the right fit for your company, but obviously this is a last resort.

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