Who do you report to – Boss or Leader ?

Successful business has one thing in constant across any organisation – The Boss. He is the most important and critical success factor for any organisation.  A class human being, a good teacher, an effective listener and a team player; and is always there to support you, no matter what. He always gives you the opportunity to move forward and is never envious of your success.

One the other hand, there is another kind, who makes you slog, is after you all the time, shouts at you. He holds you responsible for all his failures. He does not train you, teach you, simple wants you to things that he himself is unable or does not know how to do. He never gives you an opportunity to prove yourself and never lets you perform.

Now, if you have the latter as you’re Boss, it very important for you to have some understanding that will give you a little clarity. Psychologically, a person who himself is not high on capabilities, will always try to hold back people who are smarter than him. As he does not have any other way to hold you back, he uses his powers to dictate you, dominate you. Trust me on this, the day you back fire, you yourself would see a change in his behavior. He still will try to enforce him on you; however, if you consistently keep on discussing with him on the right point, you will see him taking a back foot. Never let an opportunity go, whenever you get an opportunity to meet and present to the management, speak fearlessly and all things will be in your favor.

If you have a super brilliant Boss he will drive you to achieve, it is a blessing in disguise. No matter what pressure he puts on you, he will bring the best out of you. He will keep on pushing you to do new things, things that you have not done before. No matter how difficult it is for you, if you do it, at the end you will have a skill added to you. Understand this; all through the working career you only get paid higher for your skills, the more skills you have the higher is your payout.

A little thought on leaders

Boss and leaders are two different things. While all Bosses try to prove that they are leaders, leaders don’t need to prove anything at all. Less of words, and more of action. If he finds that that someone in his team is not doing well, he will train him and uplift him. If he finds a person who is doing well, he will give him more and more opportunities to grow.

A good leader is a good follower. Anybody who cannot follow cannot lead.  In one of my learning that I acquired, was example of Sachin Tendulkar (one of the biggest sportsmen in the field of Cricket). Sachin being a top class cricketer, played under a captain who was more than 10 years younger to him. His performance never came down, he excelled. Leaders never bring their performance down, if they see that there someone in their team who can do a job better than him, he will not mind following him, irrespective of what age group he is.

Bosses bring numbers/sales, leaders build team and the team builds businesses. bosses in their ego of getting the numbers ransack all the people under him. He is least bothered with what is happening with someone, he just needs the number irrespective of anything. He will not give leaves, make people crib, and create an environment of high pressure. He will achieve the number, but in the process destroy the team. His people will never be consistent, high amount on attrition. Finally, the numbers don’t happen. If you don’t have the team how will you ever get the numbers? And when a boss, quits the business collapses. He has never builds a team that can take the business forward.

Leaders on the other hand, build a team. They develop people and understand them well. If they find people who are not doing well they will sit with them do the talking and try to get to the problem that is a hindrance to the growth. He understands that if a person is not happy in his personal life out of office, he can never perform. He never puts pressure on anyone, he just make people responsible. Therefore people stick around and along with them he too succeeds. In future, when he leaves the company to switch over to the next, the team that he leaves behind is capable enough to ensure that business continues.

While in the corporate world we find both leaders and bosses. Bosses are there in abundance, and very few leaders. If we find a leader who is our boss, we will develop and learn a lot. And when we get the change to take charge of a group; we must be leaders to team. However there is a thin line that divides a boss and a leader. It is for you to choose, on whose side you have to be.

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Vijay Sokhi

FMCG – Foods Professional

Business Consulting, Change Management, Sales Management and Motivation