Leader - Manager - Boss

Leader - Manager - Boss

In the early 1980s Warren Bennis wrote a book that began the
HATE MANAGERS & BOSSES, LOVE LEADERS MOVEMENT.

In my workshops, retreats and university courses I challenged the participants and students to explore their own thinking about these 3 roles

Over my 30 years of doing such programs I developed my own thinking.

Boss, Manager, Leader 

are simply 3 ways of mostly doing the same work with employees or teams.

Also one lesson I learned and support is that

Unless you can effectively BOSS you will never truly learn how to LEAD or earn the right to LEAD other people.

Also I created a 4th title or role

COORDINATOR

Coordinator of the work of other people from a few to thousands.

For me we BOSS when the time is limited or in emergency situations.

Managing is what ALL employees need to be trained to do much as W. Edwards Deming and Juran wrote and spoke about during the decade of QUALITY CIRCLES and the QUALITY MOVEMENT in the 1980s.

Manage things and processes, NOT PEOPLE!

Ken Blanchard, famous for his various One Minute Manager books also wrote an important book: SITUATIONAL LEAERSHIP with Paul Hersey.  Their thinking and mine are parallel.

Not all people are skilled or motivated to manage their work or themselves  They need managers and occasionally BOSSES.

People who can easily manage their work and themselves most often can be taught to be Autonomous Self Leaders much like the writing and speeches of Andrew Bryant from APSS in Singapore and his work with developing SELF-LEADERSHIP