💾 Archived View for gmi.noulin.net › mobileNews › 5661.gmi captured on 2021-12-05 at 23:47:19. Gemini links have been rewritten to link to archived content
⬅️ Previous capture (2021-12-03)
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Sure, it sounds great to be in charge. But do you have what it takes to lead,
manage and win people over?
6 November 2015
Many of us aspire to big roles at work we want to be the boss. Of course,
once we get there, it s not always as glamourous, or as easy, as we had
imagined it would be. That s especially true for entrepreneurs.
The secret to excelling at being in charge are subtle, but important. It s a
topic several LinkedIn Influencers weighed in on this week.
There are two types of bosses: managers and leaders
Here s what two of them had to say about what it takes to be an entrepreneur
and the head honcho.
Richard Branson, founder at Virgin Group
I m often asked, What does it take to be the boss? It s a hard question to
answer, wrote Branson in his post What Does it Take to Be the Boss? Managers
Versus Leaders. In my opinion, there are two types of bosses: managers and
leaders.
A leader s role, he wrote, is to work with people to change the lives of
others for the better . Management, on the other hand, is about maintaining
processes, disciplines and systems. Where managers keep the rules, leaders have
to be willing to break them, or at least find creative ways around them ,
Branson wrote.
Both are important in business and to being a boss, but it s critical that you
possess leadership qualities , especially if you want to go into business for
yourself, he wrote. The key, he wrote, is to have both types of people in a
company for the best chances of success. The business world needs both
managers and leaders to fill the role of the boss, Branson wrote.
If you're looking for adoring fans you're in the wrong role. (Credit:
Thinkstock)
The top job may not, in reality, be as glamourous as it looked. (Credit:
Thinkstock)
When you believe in something, the force of your convictions will spark the
interest of others helping you recruit people that share your vision and are
motivated to help you achieve success, Branson wrote. And passion is not only
just a handy recruitment skill; it will also help you strike up meaningful
relationships and partnerships with other entrepreneurs and business people.
Many of these will likely be great managers who can help your business grow.
Ron Shaich, founder, chairman and chief executive at Panera Bread
Say the word boss and most people imagine a well-heeled executive, jetting
between meetings and bellowing directives that a faithful group of employees
dutifully carry out, wrote Shaich in his post Want to be the Boss? Better Know
Exactly What it Means. Not exactly.
To me, being the boss has meant solitary hours contemplating challenges, he
wrote. It s meant sleepless nights weighing options before making hard
decisions that no one else wants to make and knowing that their success or
failure is ultimately my responsibility. It s meant sweating the details.
Usually, the business owns you; you don t own it.
Shaich offers what he calls the harder truths about calling the shot . Among
them:
Usually, the business owns you; you don t own it, he wrote. Building a
business is all-consuming as in, it consumes all of your waking hours and
many of the ones you should be sleeping. It s with you in the car, the shower
and on vacation. Most people who build businesses can neither turn off nor
throttle down their commitment to their pursuit.
You ll have many opportunities to make decisions because a boss s challenges
are never-ending.
As long as that business is your responsibility, you will need to think long
term. You will need to innovate, iterate and improve.
Ironically, if you are successful, you will not be beholden to fewer
constituencies; you will be beholden to more.
If it sounds daunting, Shaich wrote, it s still something he d never trade for
something easier.
While being the boss can feel at times like a long and lonely journey, there
is a payoff and it s not power or money, he wrote. For me, it s the joy of
solving problems no one else can. It s seeing opportunities others miss and
developing strategies others can t imagine. It s building a venture from the
ground up.
Being the boss is infinitely rewarding when you truly understand what you are
working toward.