Leadership is an incredibly coveted quality in the business world. Company founders and managers persistently look for people with this quality to join their work teams. Furthermore, if you are an entrepreneur you will need passionate partners and employees who believe in your project and who work inspired by a leader and not by money.
All businesses have a boss, however few have a leader. The word boss is reduced to a hierarchical figure created to control and assign responsibility, however, the word leader has a broader meaning.
Unlike a boss, a leader is not only responsible for the results, since he clearly knows that good results depend on the well-being of his team. Leadership is not a title, it is a quality and a position that is earned by example, clearly communicating ideas, helping the people who work for you and listening to their opinions.
Here are 4 tips to act like a true leader.
1. Inspire enthusiasm, not fear.
When you make the decision to be a leader, your main goal should be to have your team on your side, not out of fear or obligation, but out of admiration. A boss is more likely to intimidate, while a leader is more inclined to motivate.
You want to keep your team together and happy to follow your cause, but if your management is based on fear, your employees won’t want to stay working for you for long.
2. Think about your team, not your personal well-being.
It is easy to fall into the trap of selfishness. Whether you work for a business or are starting one, it’s easy to think about what your you are going to win, in what your you are going to achieve and in which they will be your benefits, forgetting that behind your success there are other people who are working the same and even harder than the boss.
A true leader has self-esteem and is clear about his personal goals, however, he knows that his team also has its interests. If everyone in the group is meeting their personal goals, the results will be much more satisfactory. A true leader shares the credit for good results.
3. Talk, don’t give orders.
A boss chooses to give orders in order to control, his communication goes in only one direction and his goal is to achieve obedience. However, a leader knows the importance that feedback from an employee can offer. Communication goes two-way, making employees gain confidence to communicate and follow their leader. A true leader has the ability to be heard.
4. Look for solutions, not guilty.
Bosses are people who love to waste their time talking and not doing. All the time they are berating others and talking about the company’s problems, instead of looking for solutions and taking responsibility for the results.
On the contrary, a leader has always been with his team, for which he assumes responsibility for the results, giving credit, rewarding achievements or looking for solutions and listening to ideas to improve in bad times.
The pioneers of this world are people who care about their environment, share their knowledge and increase it by listening to others. As entrepreneurs we must learn to work as leaders and not as bosses, because the ultimate goal of a boss is simply money. A leader is motivated by purposes that go beyond money, and that is what inspires those who follow him.
And remember, if you are really interested in creating your own business, you can purchase our book “How to create a company while working: Discover how to manage your time, manage your money and motivate yourself while creating a company and working for another” , where you will find all the information you need to found your own company, without having to leave your job.
