The Impact of a Leader Versus the Effect of a Boss-By Deb Hunt

No matter what your job title in the company you are a leader; your actions and reactions are looked at by others and can cause positive or negative behaviors in them.

At Salon Training International and YBN, no matter what your job title, everyone is expected to act and react as a leader, and is held fully responsible for the impact we have on team members and our customers (you). To do this on a day-to-day basis is possible and probable because our belief is that when people love their work, it is as natural to them as play and rest. We also believe that people who love their work are self directed and committed to success; that they will accept accountability and seek more responsibilities, and that all people have potential, creativity, imagination and problem-solving capabilities. Mostly, we know that people want to succeed and our job is to help them do so.

Your view of your staff, your business and/or your teammates has a direct impact on your effectiveness as a leader. If you view your employees as having an inherent dislike for work, your perspective becomes that your employees avoid doing any more than is absolutely necessary. If you believe your charges must be coerced, controlled, directed or threatened in order to get them to follow company goals, your team is more than likely reflective of your leadership. Perhaps you think that most do not want responsibility, and have little or no ambition. If this is the way you view others, it will be almost impossible for you to have a positive impact on them because no matter what they do because you choose to SEE them this way!!! Much like a sport, if you were to look at these same people and your thoughts were that your employees are a bundle of potential that can be unleashed through your coaching, then you have a team.

Your management and leadership role is to develop the potential in your people by helping them to see the end game and help them to create what success looks like in the end. Good leaders know that good leaders are made, not born. Good leaders recognize that life is an unending journey of self study, education, training, and experience. Thus, through desire and willingness to learn, you, too, can become an effective leader.

Dictionaries describe a leader as one who heads a political party or organization; one who has influence and power; one who is in charge or command of others. To inspire your staff into higher levels of teamwork, there are certain things you must be, know and, do. These aspirations do not come naturally to most of us, and are acquired through continual work, study and personal commitment to improvement.

Leadership is a process by which others are influenced to accomplish the goals and objectives of the company and to achieve their own dreams. Contrarily, leadership is not a process of forcing, manipulating, making wrong, demanding or controlling. Leaders lead with their beliefs, values, character, knowledge, and skills. People follow good leaders based on these values and what they see possible for themselves through your virtues. Although your position as an owner or manager gives you control, your simple authority does not make you a leader...it simply makes you a boss. Leadership differs in that it makes the people want to achieve high goals, reach farther, and live into something larger.

When a team member is deciding if they respect you as a leader, they do not consider your attributes. They observe what you do, which to them, becomes who you really are. They use observation to determine if you are honorable and trustworthy or, conversely, self serving. Self-serving leaders are generally ineffective because their employees are driven to obey, not follow.

The basis of good leadership is honorable character and selfless service to your organization. In the eyes of your employees, your leadership encompasses everything you do, which ultimately affects their well being as well as the organization's objectives. Respected leaders concentrate on what they are ( such as beliefs and character); what they know (such as job, tasks, and human nature); and what they do (such as implementing, motivating, and provide direction).

What makes a person want to follow a leader? People only want to be guided by those they respect and those who have a clear sense of direction. To gain respect, a leader must be ethical. A sense of direction is achieved by conveying a strong vision of the future.

Hay's study examined over 75 key components of employee satisfaction. Findings of the study revealed:

Trust and confidence in top leadership was the single most reliable predictor of employee satisfaction in an organization.
Organizational trust and confidence are achieved through effective communication by leadership in three critical areas:
Helping employees understand the company's overall business strategy.
Helping employees understand how they contribute to achieving key business objectives.
Sharing information with employees on both how the company is doing and how an employee's own division is doing - relative to strategic business objectives.
Most importantly, a leader must be trustworthy and able to communicate the vision of the future of the company, as well as how to get there.

A quote to leave you with!

The six most important words: "I admit I made a mistake."
The five most important words: "You did a good job."
The four most important words: "What is your opinion?"
The three most important words: "If you please."
The two most important words: "Thank you."
The one most important word: "We"
The least most important word: "I"

- Author unknown