What Does It Take To Be a Leader? There is a definitive line that elucidates the difference between a leader and a boss which decides the evolution of an individual.
By Sanjeev Verma •
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The famous words of the 6th US president John Quincy Adams, "If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more—you are a leader"; passably defines traits of a true leader but controverts the truth.
A leader inspires to innovate, devotes to discipline, induce curiosity for creativity, pursue people towards bee's knee, allocates to discipline, coheres with confidence, serves selflessly and strives for success. Instead of making people work for you, this is essential to have people follow you as an ideal. Since decades, the debate is on to exemplify and distinguish a leader from a boss. There is a definitive line that elucidates the difference between a leader and a boss which decides the evolution of an individual as an archetypal persona in his field and establishment as an entrepreneur.
True Leader: the Lighthouse at the Harbor of Success
An effective leader doesn't just hand out responsibilities to the team but accountable for the outcomes. Involving, intriguing, influencing, inquiring, directing, delegating, engaging, envisaging, proposing, persuading, simulating, supporting, rectifying, recommending, resulting, "leading and following' are the steps that a leader follows to initiate cumulative efforts of the team ensuring the successful culmination of the tasks. Since the dawn of civilizations, through the phases of autocracy and democracy, the principles of leadership have survived testing times and stood strong in the end. A leader involves and directs people towards the right course, prompts their interest and motivates them to work harder with dedication, gives them the power to make decisions, leads them through thick and thin, benefits them with the results, and practices what he preaches.
"Be the change that you want to see in the world"—the words from Mahatama Gandhi will resonate forever in the minds of people aspiring to become a leader because that marks the change in a character overturning an "individual' into "crème de la crème'. The apotheosis of meaningful leadership is not just about sermonizing the dogma but to live by the credo and become an example thyself.
The Lines Separating a Boss from a Visionary Leader
As Benjamin Franklin once said, "People are best convinced by reasons they themselves discover". A leader endorses his people free to decide the journey once he defines the goal and directs the path for them. Don't push, don't scold, don't fear, don't restrict personifying yourself like a boss, rather become a transformational and a transactional leader facilitating success to everyone along and the organization leading with persistence by becoming an example. Next time when your conscience blooms, introspect and ask yourself—To what extent do you lead by example? Be your own follower and the blooms of success will cherish your ascendancy in the canyon of life.
