What Separates a Boss from Being a Leader

“If the highest aim of a captain were to preserve his ship, he would keep it in port forever.”          – Thomas Aquinas

There has long since been a debate over different leadership styles and the role they play within an organization.

Leadership is a person’s ability to influence a group to accomplish a set goal or mission, while at the same time assessing and adapting to that group’s wants or needs.

A Boss, on the other hand, is a lot more mechanical as they are focused on accomplishing a set goal or task promptly; Often doesn’t take into account other factors that might influence the completion of the goal or task.

Liz Ryan, a contributor to Forbes, wrote an article about the five key differences between these styles of running a ship:

(1) Mission

If the sea captain were to take on a boss perspective, he would assign people to the role they were hired for. This is the only role this person would do. The most important aspect is that they accomplish what they were assigned to. He wouldn’t take into consideration the person who makes this role possible. This approach focuses on overall efficiency, rather than individually influenced factors.

However, if the sea captain were to take on the leadership perspective, he would have a clearly defined mission or culture. Based off of this mission or culture everyone on board would know where and how they fit into the goal.

(2) Self-Awareness

The sea captain who’s a good leader should be able to see himself objectively. He can step outside his comfort zone and reflect on his leadership.

On the flipside, a boss allows fear to get the best of him. This affects his ability to manage the group, and in turn hurt the group.

(3) Risk and Trust

The sea captain must realize that as a leader, there are always ways better ways in which certain tasks can be accomplished.  He must be willing to let those whom he is leading take other approaches.  There might be a better outcome.

On the contrary, if he were purely just bossing around his crew, he wouldn’t take into consideration or even allow his crew members to offer suggestions. As each member of the crew serves a function and nothing more.

(4) Two-way learning

Building upon risk taking and trust, a sea captain should always be open to learning. He needs to realize that there might be better approaches how to handle situations. We learn from each other after all!

Contrastingly, if solely under the impression of the boss perspective, his way of doing things would be the only way to accomplish tasks or goals.

(5) Find Your Voice and Speak Your Truth

As a leader, the sea captain will speak up when deems fit. He will fill in the gaps to accomplish the mission or goals that have been set.

On the other hand, a boss would remain idle and not speak up.

How will you be a leader in your workplace? How will you accomplish it?

David Goldstein

Founder & COO

Subscribe

Sign up for tips on crafting the perfect team.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Categories

Podcast

around the world podcast logo

Get ideas, inspiration and best practices from across the globe.

apple podcast logo spotify podcast logo amazon podcast logo youtube podcast logo

Be a Guest Blogger

Do you have any useful tips, tricks, guides, or valuable insights about company culture?

Learn more  

Drop your email for expert employee engagement tips.

Less drama? Greater productivity and job satisfaction? TeamBonding is here to help you build a stronger and happier team. Subscribe to get one-of-kind insights and news from our team building gurus and start boosting employee engagement today.

More great content based on your likes.

How to Foster Continuous Learning at Work

We all learn something new every day. Whether it’s a small tidbit like how to use a feature on the copier or a big insight about ourselves, engaging in continuous learning is an important part of growing as a person and a professional.

Read More  

10 End-of-Year Virtual Celebration Ideas for Work

Break out the noisemakers, because your remote team is about to close the book on 2024! And with 2025 looming ahead, you may be toying with yearend celebration ideas to ring in a new chapter. But with everyone living across multiple cities or even time zones, party planning may seem complicated, or even impossible.

Read More  

4 Holiday Giving Ideas for the Office in 2024

The holiday season is fast approaching, and with it comes the opportunity to help those in need and give back to the community. This is also a great opportunity for you to show your gratitude to those who have dedicated so much of their time and effort to furthering the success of your organization in the past year. And coming up with holiday charity ideas for the office is not as hard as it seems.

Read More  

TeamBonding’s Guide to the 5 Phases of Team Development

Developing strong and cohesive teams is essential for every business or organization, but team development doesn’t happen overnight. There are numerous stages of team development that can ultimately lead to a synergistic team, which carries with it many benefits. 

Read More  

Questions? Need a quote?

Complete this form to get started or call 877-472-2725.

Loading Icon

Create Your Free Account

Get exclusive access to new programs from the TeamBonding Lab, save your favorite ideas, and track your upcoming events.
Already have an account? Login

Please wait...

Sign-in

Don't yet have an account?
Create a Free Account

Forgot Your Password? Password Reset