Andrew
Changing Perspectives
Rutendo Gwatidzo
At some point we have all come across someone who calls us boss.
I believe that many of us aspire to be bosses.
Can you pause with me for a moment and define a boss?
The standard English dictionary defines a boss as a person who is in charge of a worker, a group, or an organisation.
In other words, a boss is someone who gives orders.
According to vocabulary.com, a boss is an authority figure, often the person who tells you what to do in a particular way.
Freedictionary.com also defines a boss as someone who exercises authority, makes decisions and oversees others.
There are many other definitions of a boss, however, for the purposes of this article, I will settle with the few that I have given.
When I was growing up, I aspired to be a boss.
As a result, I started to associate with other bosses, those who seemed to do well in leading others. This was so that I could learn the secrets of being a good leader.
Guess what?
I have just mentioned the secret.
To do well, one ought to be a leader instead of a boss.
I know some may be wondering what is the difference between a boss and a leader.
There is a thin line that differentiates the two but that line is very much visible.
Last week, entrepreneur Dr Chipo Mtasa was on a leadership talk show on Zimpapers Television Network.
“Leadership is the ability to influence others to move in a certain direction, change events or circumstances for the better,” she said.
“The goals and aspirations should bring positive results.”
This means that leadership does not imply that you should be dominating or dictate your terms to those you lead as per your wishes only.
You have to serve others.
There is a widespread misconception that serving others is a sign of weakness.
Serving as a leader goes beyond looking after your own interests, but involves helping subordinates excel.
A good leader will definitely stand apart from a boss. A boss in this case is one who just tells followers what to do by giving instructions over and over.
On the other hand, a leader shows followers how to do it and allows them to take the credit.
According to research, many of the most successful leaders are those with servanthood experience.
Servant leadership is easy for people with high self-esteem because they do not mind listening to others and building others up.
They already have enough confidence, skill and expertise that cannot be taken away from them. As a result, they do not mind giving credit to others.
The key to successful leadership is influence, not authority. Take note, you might have so much authority, but little influence.
Yes, those that report to you may fear you and tremble when you arrive, but that does not guarantee your success as a leader.
Luke 22:26 says, “ . . . the greatest among you must be your servant and the one who rules like the one who serves.”
Matthew 20:26-28 “ . . . Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave — just as the son of man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom to many.”
Serving others prepares you to lead others.
On the ZTN talk show, Dr Mtasa went on to mention that, “Leadership is about motivation and inspiration. Leaders should give and take at the same time.
“It is about being balanced. Look for mentors and role models.”
Everyone should learn from someone.
The challenge with some leaders is that they become big-headed and may end up thinking that they know it all.
Let us look at a few examples of leaders who did exceptionally well.
From the bible, we have David, and he started as a servant before he became a great leader.
We also have Moses, who started as a servant as well.
We also have leaders like Nelson Mandela who started from the bottom, but through servanthood, he became a great leader.
Here in Zimbabwe, we have many leaders who displayed and continue to display servanthood in their different spheres of influence.
These include Dr Mandas Marikanda who leads the Women’s Bank.
We also have Dr Divine Ndhlukula from Securico.
We have Edna Mukurazhizha from Empowered Woman Excel SACCO.
We also have Dr Jesimen Chipika from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, Professor Hope Sadza and Professor Sunungurai Dominica Chingarande from the Women’s University in Africa.
We also have young women like Chipo Mpemba, who is making waves at African Union, after mastering servanthood at an early age.
I only mentioned a few among many that I have interacted with.
One thing that I learnt from them all that stood out the most is the importance of servanthood before leadership.
I picked examples of women because in most cases great leadership and success are associated with men.
Granted, we have countless men who excelled and who are excelling in leadership as a result of having exposure to servanthood.
Everyone who aspires to be a successful boss or a leader should start by effectively serving someone else first.
If you find yourself struggling to be a faithful subordinate, in most cases you will still struggle to be a faithful leader.
Look at your mentors and try to do better what you learn from them.
In other words, if your mentors exercise servant leadership from the front, you probably need to exercise the same, but lead from the back. This is so that many others in front of you can take up leadership and run.
Together with the other leaders, you would have raised, you can then count your successes.
The sad truth is that in most cases, many leaders are simply “bosses” in the mould of my earlier definition.
They want all the credit for themselves.
They fail to see the bigger picture that the success of those that they mentor and groom comes back to them.
Everyone is a leader in the making.
What you do today determines how your leadership will turn out to be.
Begin now by exercising true servanthood.
Like David in the bible, do your best and let your gift make room for you.
The more you aspire to be a leader, the more you ought to serve others.
If you are a leader already, take note, the greater the influence you aspire to have, the more servant leadership you ought to exercise.
Be challenged to look at yourself in the mirror. Be encouraged to let go of the “boss” mentality.
Rutendo Gwatidzo is an entrepreneur, author, speaker, HR consultant and team builder. Contacts; +263 714 575 805/ [email protected]/ Rutendo Gwatidzo Official on Facebook.
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