A leader shows the path forward by walking it ahead of everyone else. If a leader asks you to follow a certain plan of action, you can be sure that he’s already tried it out himself and made sure it will work because a leader will never ask anyone to do something that he isn’t willing to do himself. When things are going crazy and everyone is working their hardest, the leader is right there with them in the trenches. A leader is always asking for input as he knows that having participation from those around him increases the chances for success and leads to better relationships and interactions. A leader respects those around him and always acknowledges their humanity. A leader will point out great qualities in you and work with you to develop them so that you can live your best life.
A boss saves the work he dislikes the most for other people. During times of great stress, a boss will retreat and leave everyone else alone to fight their hardest battles. When a boss tells you to do something differently than you normally do it, he’s most likely using you as a test subject to see if this new plan works; even if it doesn’t work, he’ll probably tell you to keep doing it that way. A boss thinks he knows best and has nothing to gain from listening to someone else’s ideas, so he doesn’t even bother asking for input in the first place. A boss has little to no respect for those around him and sees them as workers to be ordered around. A boss only looks at the qualities in you that will benefit him and focuses solely on bringing them out for his own benefit.
I’ve had a lot of experience with bosses and a little experience with leaders. The two could not be more different. Being around leaders is inspiring, energizing, and refreshing; being around bosses is depressing, frustrating, and demoralizing. Naturally, I much prefer to spend time with leaders and feel much better after being around them for even a short time. Simply watching them has taught me a lot about effectively communicating and interacting with other people, and reading their works (or works about them) has taught me even more. I’m fortunate that I’ve met and gotten to know increasingly more wonderful leaders over time and I plan to keep learning from them as I continue to grow into the person I want to be.