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Difference Between A Leader And A Boss

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People ask the difference between a leader and a boss. The leader leads, and the boss drives” (Theodore Roosevelt). There are very few recognizable differences between a leader and a boss, or manager. This can be a tricky concept to fully grasp, all leaders are managers, but not all managers are leaders. I came to notice this when I started working as a marketing/advertising intern at Water Conditioning Systems. I started to develop a strong relationship with my boss because he treated me as an equal, not as a lower ranking employee. For my interview paper, I took the opportunity to ask my boss some questions about his leadership style, and to ask what shaped him as a leader. My boss, Larry L Winkel, is the president and CEO of Water …show more content…

Larry expressed that effort is one of the most important things he looks for. Showing effort is not only important for your job, but it drives all facets of life. Another thing that I learned for the interview is that you shouldn’t educate yourself in just one subject. Larry, a University of Iowa graduate, expressed the importance of education, and how it’s best to develop a diverse educational background. He explained that after he graduated with a degree in accounting, he never went back to that field of study again. When he came back from the Air Force, his morals and ethical boundaries changed. He looked around for jobs, but nothing interested him. He didn’t know anything about water softeners, but he did understand how bad the water quality was in Iowa City and Coralville. He wanted to help give people the pure water that they deserved. Northouse describes vision as “A mental model of an ideal future state. (Northouse 149)” Larry was, indeed, a visionary for clean water in the Johnson County area. When Water Conditioning Systems opened, there was one competitor stationed in Des Moines, along with cheap unit’s at large hardware stores. Throughout the interview, I asked a few questions pertaining to task or relational style of leadership. One of the main reasons why Larry wanted to start a retail sales business is for the human interaction involved each day. Whether he was selling a

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