We’ve all seen the memes; they are all over the internet. You know the one I’m talking about, the one that compares the “Boss” to the “Leader.”
I don’t know about you, but seeing these memes usually causes me to think about those around me, and I mentally place them into one of two categories, those I’d like to work for and those I don’t.
Then I began to wonder what others thought about my own leadership style, do they see me as a boss or a leader?
Rita Mulcahy in her PMP study guides, states that project management is heavily dependent on managing people. She continues and recommends that the project manager must determine the most appropriate leadership style for the needs of the project or for whatever part the project manager is involved in.
Here are the leadership styles she mentions in her books: directing, facilitating, coaching, supporting, autocratic, consultative, and consensus.
Rather than exploring the various leadership styles individually, let’s compare the characteristics of the boss and the leader.
| Boss | Leader |
|---|---|
| Gives Commands | Shows the way |
| Drives employees | Coaches employees |
| Depends on authority | Depends on goodwill |
| Sits behind the desk | First into battle |
| Fear | Respect |
| Micro manages | Trusts the team |
| Says “I” | Says “We” |
| Places blame for the breakdown | Fixes the breakdown |
| Knows how it is done | Shows how it is done |
| Uses people | Develops people |
| Takes credit | Gives credit |