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In today’s world of leadership books galore, it is realistic for everyone to be come a leader, and more to the point, do we want all those leaders? If you ask ten people on the street, “what is leadership?” and you will get wide range of answers. Ask the same ten people “what is a boss” and the definition is more consistent.
In C.D. Mohatta’s article, The Difference Between Boss and Leader, he begins by stating that all leaders are bosses. I disagree. There are situations where someone can be a leader and not a boss. Organizations that operate in a matrix format often have people who do not report directly to someone. It is through influence, the leader must get things done through others. This is one of the strongest tests of leadership success without the status of being the boss. I agree with Mohatta that respect is the key ingredient in effective leadership.
On the other hand, are not bosses in organizations critical to getting things done and don’t they demand our respect too? It is idealistic to think on leader can influence an entire group. There are always a few rebels whose sole purpose is to buck the system. It is also common to have power struggles at the top; different leaders bring different and sometimes competing viewpoints. No wonder, it can be confusing on whom to follow. How do you avoid the politics or the land mines? The organizations where I have seen one leader dominate more often are in small companies or the leader is so charismatic, no one else stands a chance.
My conclusion: sometimes, organizations just need great bosses. We don’t spend enough time in developing them to be exceptional. They keep people focused on the tasks to get the job done. In their role, they establish guidelines and are accountable for the organization following them. They measure performance and communicate with employees. And when things get bad, they fire people. It’s not often you find leaders who readily step up to these challenges. It is a critical position. Without them, organizations flounder. Leaders rarely get down in the trenches and tell you how to do it. As the saying goes, the devil is in the details.
Article by Lynn Dessert
Lynn Dessert is an executive coach and training expert on cognitive development and personal effectiveness - facilitating behavior change for individuals and teams. Clients consult her to design and deliver HBDI leadership development programs and career minded individuals engage her for personal development. Lynn is the author of Elephants at Work and owner of Leadership Breakthrough, Inc. specializing in Executive, Leadership and Career Development. Start your discovery process by contacting her at 585.249.5149 today.
Lynn has written 299 awesome articles for us at Elephants at Work
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