Leader, Boss and Manager

We all possess the capacity for leadership, but only those who cultivate it will ever become effective leaders. 

Being a leader does not mean being the head of a nation or leading a big political party or being at the apex of some big organization. Leadership is a phenomenon common to all social animals. Even animals are lead by one dominant individual and all human societies, groups and communities have their respective leaders. Actually leadership is the activity of influencing people to strive willingly for achieving objectives which concern the whole group. Thus each of us tries leadership at one time or the other whether our activities are centred around business, politics, charity or some other field of human activity. The leader may be a boss, colleague, a friend or even a subordinate. The main plank of leadership is that through a special style of functioning the leader influences the attitudes and expectations of his followers.We all possess the capacity for leadership, but only those who cultivate it will ever become effective leaders. 

Now two questions arise : first what are the qualities that make a leader and whether one is a born leader or he can become a leader by cultivating those qualities. The greatest quality of a leader is a charismatic personality. In practice it means the leader makes others feel good about themselves than about himself.He should have the capacity to help others think more highly of themselves.He should be totally committed to the cause of the organization. He should be able to judge other people correctly and delegate work to them. His communication skills should be such that he should be able to explain his ideas to others clearly and effectively. He should be ready to take risks and give credit to his followers when successful. Above all he should be a visionary and ready to explore new vistas.

There is no doubt that some persons are born with some special qualities which help them emerge as leaders. Some people have gift of gab and become public speakers easily. Some get leadership in heritance and are assigned top positions by their predecessors. But hard work, sincerity and commitment to the cause can make a leader out of an ordinary person. Moreover, by imbibing the qualities required for leadership consciously one can go a long way on the path of becoming a popular and mass leader. 

Boss – The word means a person who has the authority or control over others. The boss may not be a leader. An anonymous writer has beautifully summed up the difference between a boss and a leader : 

“ The boss instructs to do, The leader inspires to do.
The boss depends on authority, the leader depends on attachments. 
The boss provokes fear, the leader takes near.
The boss says ‘I’, the leader says ‘we’.
The boss shows who is wrong, the leader shows what is wrong.
The boss knows how it is done, the leader knows how it is to be done.
The boss demands respect, the leader commands respect.” 
So, be a leader !

Manager- Leadership is concerned with transformation, change, setting and achieving challenging goals, whereas management is more concerned with running the show, meeting the targets and working well within the given parameters. “ Managers are concerned with doing the things right, while leaders are concerned with doing the right things". But it does not mean that the manager's job is a mechanical one and for doing the things right he should acquire the necessary skill. A skilled manager is a person who uses power not only to get things done, but also develop others and delegate work to them. He has the authority but should get things done with the minimum force required. 
By the time this issue of NITI reaches the hands of its readers, the elections for almost all the branches and Prants will be completed . The office bearers will take oath in near future and will start working. This issue carries the list of the National Executive Committee Members as well. They would also be ready to shoulder their new responsibilities. As has been said in the beginning of this article leadership is required at every level in an organization. The branch office bearers are the grass - root leaders of BVP and the whole edifice stands upon them. The Prantiya and the Central office bearers have the responsibility to guide and encourage them and also to co-ordinate their activities. 
In a voluntary organization the leadership emerges in its purest form. The office bearers do not carry the powers of reprimanding, punishing or coercing any body if one does not work or defaults. They have only their moral power and charisma to make their followers work. Of course the leaders have to be good managers always and bosses also, sometimes. But they should use the authority and powers given to them as gently and gracefully as it is possible. 

We hope our office bearers will learn the art of leadership and will take BVP to great heights.