My daughter Annie will be a high school senior next year.
As a parent, that’s somewhat terrifying. I want to acknowledge that before starting to dive further into the topic. I’m going to launch a young adult onto the world soon. Everything we’ve done so far has led to this moment.
There’s still a year to go, and that’s how this topic came to the fore. Annie plays in the marching band and is likely to be section leader next year. I was discussing this with Suzanne, my significant other, this past weekend. She asked why Annie was interested, as the section leaders don’t seem to do all that much. I responded that it was for the opportunity to boss around the other band members in her section, mainly during band camp and practice.
Once I said that, I immediately realized that before Annie takes this position, some leadership lessons might be in order, beginning with some role definitions.
A boss directs and manages the activities of a group.
A leader motivates a group to a common goal.
A boss directs the activities of a group.A leader motivates a group to a common goal.Which do you want to be? Click To TweetThese are not the same thing. A great way to illustrate this is to pop out to Google and search for “boss definition.” Ignore the noun that comes up, and look at the verb: “give (someone) orders in a domineering manner.”
Which do you want to be?