Ever worked for a company with a shitty boss?

Sure, we’ve all been there at one point. There’s a distinct, but simple difference between companies that thrive and see massive success vs those that plateau and struggle. Do you know what that difference is? The leadership. The leadership determines the atmosphere of the business. It determines the retention rate of employees, the cash flow, and everything in between.

We all know the back bone of any good business is the quality employees that are the driving force behind the majority of things getting done. Not every employee is a good one. Some of you just plain suck. Let’s just say the owner of the business is educated on how to hire the right people, based off the quality of their skills and character. Typically the employee can be trained and cultivated into a good asset to the company.

Strange though… Have you ever worked somewhere and felt very unappreciated? Maybe even a little under-compensated for the value you bring to the table? Was work a place that made you happy or at least not depressed to be at? In most cases probably not, and I’ll tell you why. It’s because of the leadership of that company. That company doesn’t have true leaders. It has “Bosses”, and those are a much different animal.

A boss is a dead term when you think of modern business. These people are the managers of departments, owners themselves, etc…Here’s the differences between a boss and a leader. It goes without saying as to why you want a leader as a boss.

If you don’t have people that want to stay and work for you, and make a career out of it, something is wrong with the way you do business. Once a business has reached a point that it needs a person to manage production of a department, it’s crucial that you put leaders in these positions of power. Leaders will drive your business to higher levels. They will activate, inspire, and motivate your employees to operate at maximum productivity.

If you don’t appreciate your employees they won’t appreciate you. Regardless of what they’re paid. I’m not saying you need to over compensate your people. I’m saying you need to appreciate them, otherwise your retention rate will suffer. You will spend more time firing and training new people that it greatly interferes with your ability to scale your business. If you run your business with the traits of a leader instead of a boss, you will be more successful, period.

When the work place is clouded with fighting, negative energy, lies, thievery, and the like. It turns your employees off, and they will hate whoever is in charge of creating the environment. Whoever their “bosses” are. If you actively motivate, provide opportunities for advancement, and appreciate your workforce, they will be a force that works hard for you. They will see the benefits. The paycheck alone is not the benefit. People can go to any other job and get a paycheck, especially when it’s minimum wage or in that general area.

Obviously no one wants to make a career out of minimum wage, so if you want lasting employees you need to create opportunities for them to move up the ladder. If you don’t have a ladder for them to climb, you need to hustle and establish these quality relationships with your employees so that you can quickly build it. As you grow you cannot be afraid to delegate responsibilities. That’s the first key to scaling a business. You have to learn how to let your business work for you, instead of you working for it.

A lot of small businesses go out of business from bad leadership. They plateau because the owners themselves stopped developing. Self-awareness is the biggest deciding factor in your ability to succeed. If you want to have a productive business you need to become a quality leader. People follow leaders. They don’t follow the boss.

If you’ve experienced a bad work environment due to this issue please share this! More business owners and people in power need to understand how important their leadership skills are. This goes for politicians, teachers, business owners, etc. Bosses are bad, leaders are good. With that being said, now you need to determine if you’re a leader, or a follower. There’s a lot of distinct traits involved. Not everyone is cut out for leadership, and that’s okay. You just need to know and own your role.