Boss vs Leader | Top 7 Interesting Differences

A team can be managed in two different ways which are drastically opposite to each other. The boss vs leader shows those differences in a brief and interesting way. It shows main approaches a boss or a leader takes for different things while managing a team. This is going to be an interesting read about understanding those differences and then seeing for yourself which one is better and why.

Previously, we published a blog post on productivity at work and if you haven’t read that yet, we would encourage you to read that too. But for now, you may enjoy boss vs leader differences in this post.

A Look at Boss Vs Leader

This post looks into the mentality and attitude of both a boss and a leader and compares how they approach different things. A leader is the one who encourages the team, supports the team, gives them credits, help them grow, and gives them the ownership of their tasks. While, a boss is totally opposite of that. A boss tries to control everything by himself. He tries to micromanage his team and their tasks and doesn’t delegate the work properly. He takes all the credit by himself instead of giving the credit to the team who has done all the hard work. So in this post, we have highlighted a few major differences of boss vs leader in an interesting way.

Ruling vs Leading Mentality

A boss tries to rule his team and subordinates like a king and thinks of them as their subjects, disrespects them at times as well. While, a leader shows by example how to get things done. He stays at the forefront of everything. You’ll find him the first one in any new initiative.

Fear vs Motivation

Boss instills fear in the hearts and minds of the subordinates and gets things done. Whereas, a leader motivates the team to do things. Boss controls the team with fear, while a leader pushes the team to do better with motivation and support. Fear makes them unhappy, motivation encourages them. That shows how a boss vs leader approaches differ from each other.

Scolding vs Respect

A boss scolds his subordinates and shouts at them for any mistakes, while a leader shows respect and offers guidance and constructive criticism. Boss takes it as an opportunity to suppress the team more, while the leader takes it as a learning and teaching opportunity.

Taking vs Giving Credits

Boss vs leader mentality is quite different when it comes to credit. A boss takes all the credit when a team achieves a goal, while a leader gives credit to his team. The boss shows the success as his performance, while a leader takes it as a chance to appreciate the team and encourage them more. A leader thinks it as a team effort and achievement. 

Take Advantage vs Develop People

A boss tries to use the team and take advantage of them to build his own reputation, while a leader develops his team members. He develops the team by understanding their skills and interests and then helps them grow in their careers. He doesn’t abuse his team members.

Micromanage Vs Delegate Work

Leadership has quite different attitude when it comes to managing the work. A boss tries to control every minor detail to his liking, while a leader guides and delegates the tasks. Boss likes to oversee and manage everything closely. Whereas, a leader trains the team, gives confidence, and then lets them do the work independently. This makes them future leaders. 

Emphasize Weaknesses vs Strengths

A boss notes and focuses on weaknesses of the team, while a leader focuses on the strengths. The boss likes to have more control over the team by emphasizing the weaknesses, while a leader helps the team build their skills and aptitude by focusing on and encouraging the strengths. 

We hope you are able to understand the differences of boss vs leader.