Bosses
v. Leaders
December 2006
What is the difference
between a leader and a boss? While each has authority, each derives this
power from two fundamentally different sources. It is a distinction that
has profound implications for all organizations, not least Garden City
Schools.
As anyone who has worked
in an organization can attest to, bosses do have power. They can assign
work, change one’s duties and in general have a significant impact upon the
conditions of one’s employment. In fact, they have been hired to do just
these things. The most effective bosses, however, understand the limits of
this power. They realize that while their position enables them to compel
behavior, such compulsion often proves to be counterproductive. Employees
who feel they are doing something because they
have
to, and not because they
want
to are not nearly as committed to the successful completion of a particular
task, and hence, usually much less successful at achieving it. Furthermore,
when compulsion becomes routine, their commitment to the success of the
organization as a whole quickly dissipates.
To truly motivate
employees, one needs to be not just a boss, but a leader. Like the boss,
the leader can also influence people’s behavior. Unlike the boss, however,
the leader achieves her objectives through persuasion, not coercion.
Leaders inspire others through their own passion, commitment and
competence. They get others to give their all by visibly giving their all.
In addition, they give employees a sense of ownership by constantly
communicating with them about the organization’s performance and goals.
They challenge members of the organization by continually asking, “Where are
we? Where are we headed, and how are we going to get there?”
While competence is a
prerequisite, so too is humility. Leaders recognize, not just the limits of
their authority, but also their ability. They understand that insights and
ideas can come from many quarters, and that just because they didn’t think
of something, doesn’t necessarily mean that it doesn’t have merit. Making
use of the ideas of others is not a sign of weakness, but of strength.
The dual roles of boss
and leader, of course, are not mutually exclusive. Indeed, the ideal boss
is simultaneously a leader as well. Moreover, not all leaders are bosses,
and regrettably, not all bosses are leaders.
Fortunately, schools,
like all human organizations, are organic. They are constantly changing, at
times for the better, at times for the worse. As the Garden City School
District evolves it would be helpful to consider the extent to which the
role of leader and the role of boss overlap in our own organization.