Is Your Manager a Boss or a Leader? 7 Key Difference of Boss vs Leader

Have you ever wonder is your manager a boss or a leader, or if you are managing someone, are you actually a boss or a leader?

Although the term “boss” and “leader” are often used interchangeably, but in reality, a boss and a leader are very different.

A boss is always a manager of his subordinates, whereas a leader is a person who inspires the team and motivates each colleague individually.

A boss and a leader adopt different management styles, build different relationships, and make different decisions. Let’s find out what are some of the few differences that make you into a true leader.

7 Key Differences Between Boss vs Leader

There are many differences between a boss and a leader. A leader is generally described as a person who leads his followers, by inspiring, motivating, and guiding them through different challenges. A boss is described as a person who leads his followers through the authority that the person holds by the role given by the owner of the business.

1. Leaders Motivates, Bosses Push

Leaders guide and motivates the team to move together as one. Leaders simply inspire the team and the team follows their leader’s example.

Boss Pushes

Bosses push and order the subordinates with the boss hiding behind the subordinates. Bosses make their subordinates work without guidance and expect results.

Leader Motivates

True leaders always give guidance and work with the team. These people see their subordinates as people with whom they will achieve the goal together as one.

2. Leaders Listen, Then Speak

We are given 2 ears and one mouth for a reason. That is because listening is twice as important as talking. We need to listen to allow us to understand others.

Boss Listen to Argue

Boss are bad listeners who expect employees to only listen and carry out their orders with no questions asked. They do not seek the opinion of others in the decision-making process and give little to no guidance on what to do or where to go.

Boss does not build a team of engaged employees, and the employees do not feel valued for their knowledge and skills.

Leaders Listen to Understand

Leaders always make time to listen to their employees. This will allow the leaders to understand and talk to the employee about their goals rather than to the employee.

Leaders are people who understand the value of seeking the opinions of others in the decision-making process, allowing the employee to feel involved and be a part of the team.

So listen more and speak less.

3. Leaders See Everyone As Equal

Heard of the term teacher’s pet while you are studying? How about in the office? Do we also have a teacher’s pet in the office?

The idea of a teacher’s pet is unattractive not only in a classroom setting but also in the office.

Boss Practice Favoritism

Bosses can sometimes tend favorite one or two employees more than others. Opportunities are given to these selected few not because of their ability but because of personal bias.

Favoritism can be due to race, religion, or even gender. This typically causes distrust and discontentment among employees and often leads to decrease team productivity, morale, and a high turnover rate.

Leader See Everyone as Equal

Leaders treat everyone equally and give each employee the opportunity to shine in accordance with their ability to complete each task. While valuing each employee on the same weight as everyone else on the team.

Strong leaders don’t only treat all employees equally and not let personal preferences get in the way of creating a dynamic environment.

A strong leader guides each employee to perform to their best potential.

4. Leaders Lead By Example

Lead by example means emphasizing the importance of taking action in order to demonstrate desired behaviors and values. These leaders believe that by setting an example, one can inspire and motivate others to strive for higher standards.

Boss Orders

When facing a new challenge, a boss orders his/her employees to handle the challenge while standing on the sideline “supervising” the work.

This negatively impacts the team’s motivation and ability to overcome challenges.

Leaders Lead

A leader will always “roll up their sleeves” and do the “dirty work” with their team. 

Leader leads the team by example and is always the first to take initiative on what to do and how to do it. A true leader stand in the front-line of the enemy fire and urge the team to follow his/her lead.

The leader works together with the team to inspire and motivate the employees on overcoming each challenge.

Leaders who lead by example create an atmosphere of trust and respect, while also inspiring others to reach their objectives.

5. Leaders Encourage

We are all human, and humans tend to make a mistake once in a while. There is always a time and place to communicate about mistakes made by your employee.

When handled correctly your employee will grow and provide even more value to the team and the company.

But when handled incorrectly, it will bring discord and resentment which will negatively impact the productivity and morale of the team.

Boss Blames

Boss criticizes every mistake the employee makes while ignoring the merits, often harshly with words that attack the person instead of the problem.

Personal attacks will demotivate the employee and increase his/her resentment towards the boss.

In addition, the employee will not be able to learn from the mistake and prevent a re-occurrence of the mistake.

Leaders Encourage

A leader learns to understand the employee and why the mistakes occur and work with the employee to prevent future occurrences.

At the same time, leaders give encouragement and recognition to the things done right so others may learn from them.

This not only helps the employee to learn from their mistakes but also to increase the respect the employee has for you.

Good communication is the essence of quality leadership.

6. Leaders Give Respect

In the past, bosses are conquerors who rule their companies by fear. But this will not work in the modern world.

But in the 21st century, we do not fight with bows and swords, we influence and convert. Thus the old ways often don’t work. And if a boss leads their followers with fear, many people will leave the company.

Boss Rule with Fear

Boss induce fear in his/her employee and hope they will listen and perform the task as ordered.

This management style will only reduce the morale of the employee. Which leads to the task being performed poorly if it is ever completed.

Leader Rule with Respect

Leaders understand that intimidating employees and controlling them with fear will not work in any setting.

Leaders inspire each employee with trust, enthusiasm, and empathy.

Smart leaders understand each employee and give them the responsibility to make decisions on their own.

An effective leaders will not only gain the employee’s respect but also to improve the productivity of the team.

7. Leaders Invest

Good companies invest in their employees. Employees who are well-trained will can perform and provide more value to the company.

Boss fear investing in their employees

Bosses have an innate fear that someday their employees will outshine them and take their place, thus they refuse to invest and mentor their employees.

A good employee who feels underappreciated and senses that they are drifting with an uncertain future will be unproductive and eventually leave the team.

Leaders invest and nurture their employees

Leaders will invest time and effort into developing their employees to maximize their potential in their profession.

Leaders will have the willingness to teach employees new skills and help them to advance in their careers.

These true leaders will in return, be recognized by the top management to lead even more important tasks.

“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.”

Luke 16:10

What Is A Boss?

A boss is the person in charge that only cares if their subordinates fulfill their job responsibilities. Bosses give orders to the whole team, micromanage each individual then command and control others to achieve their desired results. Boss focuses only on the outcome. You follow a boss because you fear them.

Boss is the word that most people use daily at work and this term tends to evoke a slightly negative emotion. Some might feel stress or even fear at the mention of this term.

And to explore the true meaning of the term ‘boss’ we look into The Cambridge Dictionary for the true definition.

According to the dictionary, the noun ‘boss’ means “the person who is in charge of an organization and who tells others what to do”.

A boss doesn’t just prefer certain actions to be done, they expect and demand what needs to be done.

Simply put, a boss is about supervision.

A boss is to order the subordinates on what task is required to be done and to ensure the task is fulfilled.

What Is A Leader?

A leader is someone who inspires the whole team regardless of their official title or position and that takes responsibility for the processes and team members who work to create outcomes. You follow a leader because you respect them.

A leader is a word, which invokes positive emotions. A leader is someone whom we want to associate with. A term that we used for people with whom we look up to or are striving to become.

And to further explore the meaning of the term ‘leader’ we look into The Oxford Dictionary for the true definition.

According to the dictionary, the noun ‘leader’ means “The person who leads or commands a group, organization, or country”.

A leader focuses not just on the result he/she could get but also on the process of getting the result.

Simply put, a leader is about leading with you charging ahead of the army.

A leader is a person who guides the team on what task is required to be done and ensures the task is fulfilled.

Why Being a leader is Important?

A leader commands respect and influence from his team members and a boss commands fear in his subordinates. This is a clear distinction between a leader who lead and a boss who pushes.

When a team has a leader, it can motivate employees to contribute and create a positive environment for the company and eventually a positive company culture that will drive the success of the company.

Understanding Difference Between a Boss and Leader

The major differences between the “Leader” and “Boss” can be simply summed into one single sentence:

There are many leadership styles, some make you a leader, and others make you a boss. Knowing the difference between a leader and a boss allows you to become a better person for yourself and your team.

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