Leader or Boss?

My Observation of Human Resource Management Trend in Workplaces.

Throughout my life I have been hearing different stories of how human resource managers at different workplaces manage their human resources. It is the known fact that human resource is one of the biggest strengths of any organisation if they are well-managed. On the other hand, it can be a cause of any organisation’s downfall and failure. The either side of the coin can be determined by the human resource manager concerned. Unfortunately, most managers in any workplaces seem to convert the biggest asset into a colossal liability. 

Let me ask you this question- which one do you wish to be, a boss or a leader? This decision can be a critical one because it can have great impact on many careers under your leadership. To me, git is important to find the distinction between the two- a boss and a leader, and accordingly you can make your decision whether to be a boss or a leader. To me, a leader is someone who is well-aware of his or her position and someone who is always searching for ways to encourage and inspire his team members to strive toward a concerted goal. A leader helps his or her team to grow. He or she is growth oriented rather than fault finding and finger pointing. He or she credits the team for their successes and takes responsibility for any failure even when its cause attributes to the team. A leader always takes democratic decisions, and creative and innovative ideas are always stimulated among his or her colleagues. A leader does not hesitate to take a calculated risk in the best interest of the team and their organisation. He or she would always be there to lead the team rather than dictate and give confidence and courage to his or her colleagues to face any uncertainties with proper plan of actions. With a leader leading the organisation, no one would feel left out. Everyone would reach the destination at the same point of time. That is what leader does, and if you choose to be a leader, you have the opportunity to make a difference in a positive way. 

Well, if you decide to be a boss, you ought to be ready to lead a bunch of sycophants, who would not hesitate to curry you. Even when you are wrong, your sycophants would make you feel right, and you would always feel right. A boss only knows how to give order to his group. He or she would have problem of listening. A boss would always claim to be right and others wrong. A boss lack compassion and empathy toward his or her team members. He or she is selfish and almost always takes the credit for others good work and pushes the blame on others when his leadership fails. A boss simply treats you like a commodity. He or she will keep you and treat you well until your expiry date. You are always replaceable to the boss. A boss is result oriented and human touch is simply unthinkable. A boss would show-off his or her position but never knows how to take responsibility and accountability. A boss discourages his or her staff member and injects fear in them. 

Now, you might have got some sense of how a leader differs from a boss. In case you wish to take up this role someday or if you are already taking up this role, which one would you wish to choose. I cannot guarantee success for your organisation, but I can say with certainty that if you choose to be a leader, you would certainly have many happy people working for you and your company. Other way could be true as well. Thus, you must take time to choose what you wish to be because your decision cannot just impact the future of your organisation but also the lives of many individuals under your charge.         

P.S- I have no intention to defame anyone. This is an opinion simply inspired by different leadership practices that I have observed over a long period of time.