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Who’s the Boss - A manager or a leader
Who’s the Boss - A manager or a leader

March 23, 2021

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Who’s the Boss: A manager or a leader?

This article/post is written with inspiration from one of the LinkedIn posts published on “Happy Boss Day”.

I’m impressed with the sentence used in that post which says “The greatest gift of Leadership is a boss who wants you to be Successful. He / She is someone who will encourage you to be your optimum, who corrects your mistakes when you are wrong, who is humble and generous, and who makes you realize that you have more ability than you think”.

“In the real word, every one Wishes to have a boss like the one in the sentence, but the main question here is – who can we consider as a boss? Whether your Manager be considered a boss? Or is it the head of your division, OR the Chief Executive of your company or the Founder?

I wish to put forth my thoughts about the difference between a manager and a boss. A manager is somebody who has a level of control and responsibility in a company, who is responsible for carrying out important functions such as planning, executing, leading and controlling.

However, all managers cannot be leaders, simply because all managers cannot do all of the qualities listed above.

A Manager manages their employees, while a leader inspires them to innovate, think creatively, and strive for perfection. Every team has a Manager, but what people need is a leader who will help them achieve success in the job that they do. You can be a manager without being an effective leader. In the same way, you can lead and influence people without having a formal title that designates you as a Manager.

In my opinion, a boss is a leader. What does the word “leader” mean to you? For some, they may look up an image of a CEO of a large company. While others may think of their parents, guardians, politician or perhaps someone who speaks for a social cause.

Everyone is a leader in some context in there and learning how to be a more effective leader is within everyone’s grasp. Effective leaders are rare and therefore always in constant demand.

So, who is an effective leader?

Effective leaders inspire you. They strive to bring the best of you to the surface and make you look at the strong aspects of your personality. Effective leaders are willing to address an issue, voice a belief, stand up for themselves or others, and even express an unpopular opinion.

An effective leader is someone who knows where he/she is going and can persuade others to come along. People follow real leaders because they want to.

Studies have shown that people with high EI (Emotional Intelligence) and excellent Interpersonal skills have greater mental health, job performance, and leadership skills.

Few key aspects of Emotional Intelligence and Interpersonal skills which support in developing Leadership skills are,

1) Emotions: Leadership begins with self and social awareness, the ability to recognize emotions (and their impact) in both your and others lives. That awareness begins with self-reflection.

2) Pause in reactions: The pause is as simple as taking a moment to stop and think before you speak or act. I know it is easy in theory, but difficult in practice. However, this could help to save you from embarrassing moments or from making commitments too quickly.

3) Control on thoughts: You don't have much control over the emotions you experience in a given moment. But you can control your reaction to those emotions - by focusing on your thoughts.

4) Handling Criticism: Handling Criticism in a positive manner is key aspect of a good Leader.

5) Empathy: The ability to show empathy, which includes understanding others' thoughts and feelings, helps you connect with others.

6) Appreciation: All humans require acknowledgement and appreciation. When you praise others, you satisfy that craving and build trust in the process.

7) Apology: Emotional intelligence helps you realize that apologizing doesn't always mean you're wrong, rather shows that you value your relationship more than your ego

8) Positive feedback: Reframe criticism as constructive feedback, so the recipient sees it as helpful instead of harmful.

9) Forgive and Forget: When you forgive and forget, you prevent others from holding your emotions hostage - allowing you to move forward.

10) Commitments: When you make a habit of keeping your word in either big things or small things, you develop a strong reputation for reliability and trustworthiness.

11) Support: One of the greatest ways to positively impact the emotions of others is to help them.

12) Emotional Sabotage: When individuals attempt to manipulate others' emotions to promote a personal agenda or for some other selfish cause. This is why you should continue to sharpen your own emotional intelligence - to protect yourself when they do.

13) Trust and honesty: Leaders understand the importance of trust and so create such eco-systems to actively build trust with their colleagues in a variety of ways

14) Selflessness: Great leaders are selfless leaders. When things are going well they are quick to share the credit. They will acknowledge everyone else in the team before taking any credit themselves.

15) Appreciation: They understand the power and importance of appreciation.

16) Instilling confidence: Great leaders communicate a clear message that they believe in the people they lead. This not only gives the team confidence, but encourages them to try new ideas, take risks and innovate.

17) Wellbeing: It’s hard to achieve this balance, but great leaders understand the importance of looking after themselves. They know that they won't be the best leader they can be, if they are burnt out and exhausted.

Mastering these different skills are often critically referred to as being 'soft skills' of leaders, but these would make him/her a true ‘Effective Leader’.

 

Authored by:

Mahesh Kulkarni

AVP – Procurement, SLK Global Solution

 


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