The fame of a bossy boss, who causes fear and imposes orders on his collaborators is a paradigm that has been declining over the years. In modern, technological and innovative companies, the role of the leader started to gain prominence. Nobody wants to take orders, but be understood and respected.
With major changes in the profiles of professionals, the market had to adapt. The Covid-19 pandemic, social isolation, home office and imposed technology accelerated this process. From March to October 2020, the search for the term “leadership and people management course” in Internet search engines increased by more than 250%, according to Google Trends.
At school, we learned to compete and to rule. Collaboration and leadership are themes that are gradually being inserted into the studies. Therefore, we need to identify who the bosses are and who the leaders are.
Characteristics of a boss
For the most part, bosses are people placed at a high level of power, with a strong tendency to be authoritarian and command employees with direct orders, considering them subordinate.
The main characteristic of a boss is the centralization of power, that is, he does not divide activities, does not share knowledge and focuses only on profitable results.
One of the difficulties that a boss faces is when it comes to feedback. This return is generally non-existent or flawed. The bosses do not encourage, praise or motivate their team, believing that when doing a good job, the employee “did not do more than his obligation”.
Characteristics of a leader
According to James C. Hunter, in his book “The Servant: A Simple Story about the True Essence of Leadership”, leadership is “the ability to influence people to work enthusiastically to achieve common goals, inspiring confidence through character”.
In other words, a leader is not formed by the title or position he has, but by the influence he has on the lives of those around him.
Unlike the boss, a leader leads and inspires people, being the biggest motivator of the team. While the bosses are feared, the leaders are respected and, often, admired by the team.
Good leadership involves several missions and skills of those who are at the head of the team. Among them are:
Prepare the team to achieve its goals;
Help professionals to develop their skills;
Encourage and support challenges;
Create a safe and comfortable environment;
Seem trustworthy;
Delegate and give freedom to the team.
When carrying out these activities, the leader generates several benefits for the company, but the main one is to result in a much more efficient and assertive team in its activities.
Boss vs. Leader Attitudes
Identifying the differences between these two profiles is much easier than we think. By putting information in a comparative way, we are faced with the toxic results that a boss can achieve in the work environment.
BOSS x LEADER
says: me; go x says: us; we will
gives orders x orients
looks for the guilty ones x looks for solutions
inspects x trusts
demoralizes x drives
refuses help x asks for help
speaks a lot x hears well
withholds x delegates
frightens x inspires
Human beings like to be accompanied, to learn and grow with their own abilities. However, good and conscious leadership is essential for this. This is not just a mission for the human resources sectors, but for all members of a team. If you are an entrepreneur or collaborator in a company, start with you.
Watch, read and listen to leadership content in order to acquire and deepen your knowledge. Thus, it will be much easier to identify and apply the characteristics of a leader in your routine. Not sure where to find information? Check out the tips:
Book: “The 21 irrefutable laws of leadership: follow them and people will” by John Maxwell
Podcast: “5 sentences from a weak and insecure boss” by Flávio Augusto
Video: “A guide to collaborative leadership” by Lorna Davis
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