10 Signs You Are a Female Leader – Not a Boss

To be a boss and to be a female leader are two entirely different things. A leader can inspire her team to bring innovation, be creative, and strive for quality and perfection. However, a boss, on the other hand, only manages the employees. A leader is also a boss, but all bosses cannot be leaders. It is possible that you yourself might not know that you are a female leader instead of just a boss. Here we will talk about the ten signs that make you a leader instead of a boss. 

You listen and provide advice 

You will know that you are a leader and not just a boss when you will find yourself giving advice and counseling to your colleagues and teammates. If people reach out to you when there is any problem, it means they put their trust in you and see you as a leader and not their boss. 

A leader has the power to influence others, and people value their opinions and ideas. If you are actually a female leader, your empathy will be strong, and the perspective that you hold is real and valid. If you have the ability to lead the way for your colleagues through hard and rough paths, you are undoubtedly a woman with leadership skills. 

You always have a positive attitude 

A woman as a leader always showcases an optimistic attitude, which can inspire the people around her to be better at what they are doing. A positive outlook is necessary when you want to seek out something great in every situation and in all kinds of circumstances. 

Unlike a boss, a leader has the ability to believe that everything is going to be okay without blaming colleagues for an inevitable mishap. A leader's optimistic approach towards problems and the positive spirit keeps people motivated to work even harder and have faith in better days. 

You respect your teammates' time 

A woman with a leader's mindset will never tolerate behaviors that include wasting people's time or making others wait unnecessarily. As a leader, you will respect every minute people spend with you working on new ideas and projects. 

You care about your teammates 

You cannot be a true leader unless you treat your team as family and care about them genuinely. Unlike a boss, a leader will always spend time supporting and guiding her team. The main goal is always a success, but a leader is always there to share the burden with her team during the journey towards this success. As a leader, you will always find yourself helping your teammates out with everything you possibly can. 

You have the confidence essential to be a leader

To be confident is a significant trait of a leader. A female leader will always be confident about whatever she does, either it is a decision to make or a change of plan; she will always stand out as a confident person. Being confident and passionate allows a leader to accept what's right and refuse what doesn't seem right. Their confidence doesn't let them get blinded by other's opinions. 

You have your priorities set 

A leader has her priorities set, and she knows when she needs to focus on what. A leader wouldn't put her focus on everything but on important tasks alone at first. Prioritizing certain things over others for the sake of betterment is a trait of any leader, and it only helps in keeping the team on the winning list. 

You mentor instead of disciplining 

Unlike a boss, you see your employees as humans who can make mistakes, and those mistakes should be accepted with dignity instead of punishing them for minor mistakes. How you deal with mishaps, shows who you are, a leader, or just another boss? Leaders believe in mentorship instead of the punishment system, and they believe in giving second chances. Moreover, if an employee does well in any field, a leader always praises and provides that employee with the credit of that success.

You influence others

Sue Andrews says, "A key difference is that a boss's authority comes from their position, whereas a leader's authority comes from their ability to influence others." 

If you have the ability to influence your teammates to achieve what is desired, you are undoubtedly a leader. As a leader, you can inspire others through your own actions, making them inspired to maximize their potential. 

A leader is always willing to learn new things 

Unlike a boss who acts like she knows everything and does not need to learn anything new, you, a leader, know that you still need to acquire plenty of knowledge to become an even better leader. You don't act like a "know it all" person; instead, you show interest in learning new things. You understand the fact that learning is a never-ending process, and you will get to know about another new thing every time you think you have gained all the knowledge in the world. 

You accept your mistakes 

If you are a person who doesn't just take the blame but also accepts it, you are a leader when it's your mistake. Leaders have the audacity even to take responsibility for the whole team collectively. Moreover, you as a leader also make sure that your team keeps moving forward instead of pitying that one mistake. You know how to let go and move on as soon as possible. 

There are so many differences between being a leader and a boss that you can tell whom you are by doing a little self-analysis. If you see yourself supporting, helping, and mentoring your team, you are a female leader. On the other hand, if you find yourself just making your team follow the rules and organizing them, here's the bad news, you are not a leader but just another boss for your employees. However, if you wish to be a leader, you can constantly develop and learn leadership skills and transform yourself; as we are told, there is always a way out of everything. 

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Tina Persson, PhD, Career & Leadership Coach

Global ICF Coach | Coaching and training high-performing professionals to unlock and maximize their potential for guaranteed business success

You can contact me at tina@passag2pro.com

Book a strategic discovery call at https://tinyurl.com/4wjw792s

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