Difference Between A Leader And A Boss

Leadership is, and always has been, a vital aspect of social and economic constructs. It is essential to the survival of societies, industries, organizations, and virtually any group of individuals that come together for a common purpose. However, leadership is difficult to define in a single, definitive sense. As such, theories of leadership, what constitutes a great leader, and how leaders are made have evolved constantly throughout history, and still continue to change today in hopes of improving upon our understanding of leadership, its importance, and how it can be most effective in modern organizational cultures.

Before going through this journey of self-discovery, my view of leadership was accurately described by John C. Maxwell “ Leadership is influence.” (Maxwell, para. 25, 2012). I believed, before taking this class and Northouse’s (2013) assessments, leaders were defined by the extent to which they could influence others to achieve company goals. I thought that, when discussing leadership, the leader was the most important aspect of the leader-member dyad and that it was the leader who had the greatest influence over how successful the organization was. Leaders themselves, in my view, should have been the focus of leadership studies and it should have been up to the leader to develop his/her skills in

Leadership can be defined as the ability of a company 's management to make sound decisions and inspire others to perform well (Investopedia, 2014). From the beginning of time, in the middle of all the major changes and historical events there where effective and motivated leaders having a wide sphere of influence and inspiring other groups of people to be creative and efficient. A leader is defined as a person or thing that holds a dominant or superior position within its field, and is able to exercise a high degree of control or influence over others (businessdictionary,2014).Leaders have always played a major role in the evolution of technology as well as in forming the very lifestyle of today’s society. Effective leaders are able to set and achieve challenging goals, to take swift and decisive action even in difficult situations, to outperform their competition, to take calculated risks and to persevere in the face of

Leadership is multidimensional. There is no straightforward way to describe what a leader is or explain who makes a great leader. The description will be shaped by the purpose of the work being done and the followers one achieves. Dye (2010) states that leadership is a “living phenomenon” (p. 14) and supports the need to provide personalization to the leadership style. There is much discussion on the development of a leader. Some believe that you are a natural born leader who fine-tunes those skills through “persistence and perseverance of failures and successes” (Blanken, 2013, para. 5). Others, like Blanken (2013), feel that exposures early in life begin the development of leadership traits, and “education, jobs, and life experiences then shape the leader’s philosophy and psychology” (para. 7). A dominant style might be apparent in a leader; however, the adaptability in leadership approaches allows the leader to be focused on

If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader” (BrainyQuote). These wise words were spoken by President John Quincy Adams. When I first heard these words I immediately thought of my manager, Paige. She is the true definition of a leader. She has worked for numerous healthcare organizations over the years and through each company she had crafted her leadership style. She joined my company, Hanks Pharmaceuticals four years ago and in that time she has changed the dynamic and culture of 3 different departments. When she first came to Hanks, she was a manager in our onsite Pharmacy. She then volunteered to be a part of a program that rotates managers to different departments for a year at a

Businesses also have a variety of different leaders controlling the organization. Some executives attain a high-level position, placing them in a leadership role. However, there are many leadership positions that do not actually “lead” a team. A leader does not decide to be a leader overnight. A leader possesses a particular set of qualities and

There were many options to interview for this assignment, after careful thought on whom to interview, I decided to interview someone outside of my work environment. I chose to interview a healthcare director who is much energized towards making change and being the best leader they can be. I liked the idea of interviewing this individual for the experience of having some awareness into an organization which I knew very little about, it was insightful to see leadership within a different frame of reference than I typically see within my work environment. The person I met with asked not to be named directly, his title is a director level at a large healthcare organization. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from Ferris State and a Master’s degree (I don’t recall the college) in healthcare administration. He is a very energetic person and is very clear in the importance of good leadership. He was quick to start our meeting and take the lead by emphasizing to me how critical leadership is and that it’s a critical component towards the success of any organization, effective leaders help ensure that everyone works together seamlessly and they are much more likely to achieve the organization’s goals and success. A successful leader will be vital in motivating employees, communicating strategic directions and achieving organizational goals, without a good leader all of the organizations resources are less effective than they could be.

Fifteen weeks in the Business Introduction class, I learned how to become a leader with the guidances of, “The Student Leadership Challenge:Five Practices For Becoming An Exemplary Leader”, Student Leadership self assessment, Myers Briggs Type Indicator results, and SWOT analysis. From all the readings and assessments, A leader to me is someone who is able to set a positive example to their peers but also capable of receiving feedback. Leaders make

“At Southwest Airlines, although we have Manager titles, we prefer to use the word Leader because we want all our People to realize they have the potential to be a Leader” (Blanchard & Barrett, 2011). An individual can make a positive difference in anyone’s work regardless of the position they are in. “Anytime you seek to influence the thinking, behavior, or development of people in their personal or professional lives, you are taking on the role of a leader” (Blanchard & Barrett, 2011).

Throughout my short life, I have come to realize that a leader does not necessarily, although they may, maintain a defined position of leadership. A leader is one who will rise to the challenge even when the odds in opposition. A leader will tackle any barrier that stands in the way of the goal. A leader is willing to be hated and face criticism for doing what is right. Leaders come in all different forms, but a leader is the one who is always willing to make the difficult decisions.

By definition, leadership is the position or function of a leader, a person who guides or directs a group. But can we really sum up “leadership” in a single sentence? Recently, an article was run in Business News Daily (2015) that listed 30 ways to define leadership. In those 30, there were many quotes by CEOs, COOs, Founders, and company Presidents. Common attributes like “behavior”, “ability”, “vision”, and “followership” were mentioned. So it goes without saying that if these prominent individuals can figure it out, why can’t those below them? Thankfully, most do, and some will even rise to the top like those previously mentioned. The key point to all of this though is that it takes more than just one characteristic to make a leader. Throughout this piece, I’d like to explore the aspects that make up a Leader, how I fit the role of a leader, and what I’ve learned throughout this course in leadership.

What leaders really do? This is the question I am sure everyone asked themselves many times. John P. Kotter wrote a book in title “What Leaders Really Do”, and throughout his book he explains how the role of good leader should look like. The book states that most organizations lack good leadership, and Kotter is trying to help its reader to understand what real leaders really do. True leadership, he reminds us, is an intangible quality, and too often we confuse management duties and personal style with leadership, or even mistake unworthy leaders for the real thing. With John Kotter on What Leaders Really Do, readers will learn how to become more effective leaders as they explore pressing issues such as power, influence, dependence, and strategies

The word ‘leadership’ often times triggers a preconceived image of an ideal leader—typically accompanied by the aura that the effective leader should be at the top of the hierarchy, ready to produce the solutions to complex problems. However, this is not true of leadership, given that effective leadership is not achieved by position but rather through style and situational awareness. Examining leadership requires the consideration of the catalysts for different types of leaders. Popular leader development theories tend to focus on the natural servitude of the leader, his or her capability to manage, and leader behavior.

For decade’s individuals, companies, and organizations have spent an unprecedented amount of money on researching, molding, modeling and working to define what a leader is and what characteristics make successful leaders. Despite all the research, there is not a quick answer or even full agreement as to what makes an individual an effective leader. The definition of a leader is “someone who can influence others and who has managerial authority.” (Robbins, Decenzo, Coulter, 2015. P.370)

Solo leadership refers to the control, influence and direction to the followers by one sole person who leads them towards achieving desired goals and objectives. Solo leaders are those leaders who donot share power with any other person and ensure that they receive all the credits and profits from effective productivity of their followers. They have no partners in decision making and power sharing. They set the vision and goals and also make strategies to achieve those goals. They are the sole directors of their followers and give strict directions and orders for achievement of any objective. They are autocratic by style as they are sole controllers and play unlimited roles without interfere