Just a few days ago, my ex-colleague who holds a leadership position texted me. Knowing that I’m in the area of leadership development, he jokingly mentioned that I should be conducting sessions for my ex-boss.

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A quick background on why the above conversation occurred. My ex-boss has the highest turnover rate in the company, but she does not seem to realize she is the root cause of the high attrition within her team. My ex-colleague tried hinting to her but didn’t work out well. She’s still behaving very much the same. When I think about my working relationships with her, she undoubtedly delivers the results but at the expense of relationships with her team.

This got me thinking: “How many leaders are actually facing relatively high turnover and may not have good working relationships with their team members, but have no idea why, even though you think you are doing the right things?” My guess is loads. Otherwise, the adage that “people don’t leave the company, they leave their boss” wouldn’t still stand so true.

As someone who leads a team of people, I bet you have a deep desire to know if you are labelled a good leader or a boss (please tell me you know the differences). Because it directly affects your reputation, chances of promotion business results, capabilities, and relationships. If you ask Google for “differences between a boss and a leader”, you’ll get the answers in no time. For instance, a boss drives employees whereas a leader coaches them. A boss commands and a leader asks. Most of the comparisons are work-related.

I’m more curious about differences on a more private level. Check out the infographic below. It’s a little layman, but highly accurate, as it’s very close to reality.

So, where do you stand? If your score is like a boss, it’s difficult for you to move further up the career ladder or grow your business because you will find it difficult to garner support from your team. In short, no one is willing to help you. On the other hand, if you scored highly as a leader, you won’t find it too difficult to have your people’s commitment and help. Between two executives who both deliver results, one being more people-oriented and the other who doesn’t have good working relationships, who is more likely to be considered for promotion?

Or consider two similar businesses – one provides “go-the-extra-mile” service because their leader empowers the employees to do so, whereas the other just provides so-so customer service because employees don’t see the need to do more than required. Which business is expected to have more customers, grow in size and trigger more viral word-of-mouth?

It’s an easy answer. The question is, “Do you want to continue being a boss or a leader?”

At this point in time, you may be thinking it’s easier said than done. I will show you it’s not difficult being a leader and it doesn’t take up too much time. On top of that, you will see tremendous positive changes in your people and yourself, as well as the areas that you are concerned about – career progression, business results etc.

Take Chen Lanshu, for example. Chen Lanshu is a talented chef and owner of the restaurant Le Mout in Taiwan. She is a hardworking, driven go-getter. In the initial stages of running her own restaurant, it didn’t occur to her that she was the reason for the departures of her top-notch chefs and other staff. She just wanted to do things well but overlooked that getting the results she wants is just one part of running the business. The other part is to be a respected leader such that those working for her would be motivated and committed to achieving better standards and results for her business.