Leader vs Leader Position

In your lifetime you will come across people that would consider themselves as a leader. Most of them you wouldn’t consider as a leader and don’t see any leadership qualities.

This article is going to establish the difference between a leader and a person in a leadership position.

What is a leader?

A leader is someone that people willingly follow their lead. Meaning people want to listen and follow their direction.

The conventional definition of a leader is a person that commands a group, organization, or country. The problem with this definition is that it leaves out the subordinate willingness to follow. This article will further explain why this definition is misleading.

Who are leaders?

A leader is that person that always has gatherings, inviting people to new restaurants, and the person everyone asks for advice.

To give an example, think of people like Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi. These two leaders were able to get people to endure abuse from governments that attack them and never physically fight back.

What is a leadership position?

A Leader position is a circumstance in which a person has authority to guide a group.

Someone in a leadership position can be given the job of directing under a pre-built structure and people follow them under that circumstance.

Who is in the leader position?

The people that can qualify to be in leadership positions are your supervisors, the management in a company, and anyone that is considered a leader under the circumstance of an organization built before their leadership.

The Difference

The difference between being a leader and being in a leadership position is people follow a leader because they want to. Someone in a leadership position is not necessarily a leader because the people that are under their leadership mostly follow because of a circumstance such as a job.

The best way to explain this is to demonstrate the relationship between a store manager of a major retail brand and a subordinate of theirs. The store manager under the conventional definition is a leader because the subordinate most likely will follow the direction of the store manager. The problem is both people are just doing their job, and the subordinate is not following the store manager's lead out of respect for the manager's own presence. Both are just playing a role under the circumstance they are in.

Conclusion

Leaders get people to follow them through their own means. Being in a leadership position does not mean you are a leader. A leadership position is just a role you have in a circumstance. Leaders are in a leadership position innately.

Keep gaining experience and enjoy life.