Organisations need leaders not bosses

Every leader is a boss but every boss is not a leader. This defines the difference between a boss and a leader. The boss is respected and obeyed because of his or her seniority but a leader is respected and looked up to as an example because of the superiority he or she commands in every sense.

Leaders earn respect by their actions. They look and act sincerely.

There is no mismatch between their words and actions. They look integral in approach and character.

To be a leader, every boss must display characteristics such as foresight, knowledge, analytical thinking, good judgement, planning, action, people skills, results-oriented approach and act as a friend and a mentor.

This is quite a list, but if you want to become a good leader you need these qualities. This is true not only for national leaders but for people in every leadership position in any organisation. Once a person earns the respect of his or her team members he or she ceases to be only a boss and transforms into a leader.

Becoming a leader is an outcome of long years of committed effort.

Although your position as a manager, supervisor or leader, gives you the authority to accomplish certain tasks and objectives in the organisation, this power does not make you a leader, it simply makes you the boss.

Leadership differs - in that it makes followers want to achieve high goals, rather than simply bossing people around. In the government sector leadership positions are mainly given on seniority and these are 'Assigned Leadership' positions.

Responsibility

Entrepreneurs like to be in charge. You start your company so that you can call the shots - not someone else. But if you want to grow your business, you have to learn to share responsibility with others.

The question is - how do you become a leader, not just a manager, of others? The reality is that it takes time and attention to learn how to be a good leader. We may be good at what we do, but being a leader isn't a natural skill.

While it's hard enough to get used to the idea of having others make decisions in your company, the problem is exacerbated because many entrepreneurs have never had positive role models of how to be a good manager.

If you had great leaders, you might not have left your previous job, right? But having a string of bad bosses is little preparation for being a good leader.

Moreover, the old-fashioned concept of being a boss meant issuing orders and having others follow it - sort of a militaristic hierarchy. Being a boss meant being tough. It doesn't work like that anymore.

My way

For some, the idea of 'My way or the highway' management is still appealing. Many entrepreneurs hire their first employees with the idea that they'll do much of the dirty work the entrepreneur no longer has time for.

They'll be extra sets of hands - not extra brains. But if you want your business to grow, you need extra brains - not just extra brawn - no matter how smart you are. Those who are on the front lines of carrying out a task - whether it be making a product, making a sale or shipping the boxes - are usually in the best position to suggest improvements. So we need employees who can think. This needs leadership, not just management. So how do we become leaders, not just managers?

While this may seem self-evident, hire well. Just as it's easy to be a good parent if you have good kids, it's much easier to be a good leader if you have good employees. You can't choose your kids, but you can choose your employees.

Do recognise that while you want to be a good leader, you're still the boss. You're the one who sets the overall vision, direction, and standards of your company. Organisations need leaders and employees respect fair and thoughtful leaders, especially those who also respect them.