Politicians and leaders are often intertwined due to their roles and responsibilities. They both actively participate in politics, seek an elected seat in government, and propose, support, and create laws that benefit the citizens.
So, what are the differences between both political figures? What sets them apart? And how can you choose the right person who can make a difference?
We all have observed some great leaders throughout history. They were not politicians, and they had no personal motive. We believe that it’s hard to find a great leader and a politician in one person.
A leader is someone who establishes something new, he works for the benefit of people and their missions are far more meaningful. But to be honest, a politician is more centered on his personal interest. He constantly looks for the next opportunity, and dodging people is not at all difficult for him!
Not only this but there are still plenty of differences between politicians and leaders. So, let’s dig deeper and find out some common differences between the two positions.
A Politician Cares About Looking Nice, but a Leader Cares About Being Nice and Helpful:
Looking good and pretending to be helpful is a habit of most politicians. They are concerned about their image in society. Around 90% of voters do not even meet the politicians and hence they decide to vote for them, all because they are inspired by their good image.
Their voting decision is not based on the goals and objectives of the politicians, they do not know them personally and have the least ideas about how they will work when given any authority. They just trust the image they have formed in the eyes of the public.
Therefore, most politicians and their party members are more concerned about maintaining a strong image of their party so that more and more people can trust them. They develop a powerful identity of politicians and make people believe that they are the only ones who can improve the status of the community.
But on the other hand, a leader is more concerned about people’s growth and their benefits. A leader follows integrity and honesty. He doesn’t need to maintain his image. He is always the same person in meetings, televisions, interviews, and conferences.
Leaders do not run for the office or seat in government, but they find opportunities to help people. If they find out that something is not good in society, they take steps to improve it.
They do not care about their personal image as they are more involved in making healthy contributions to society.
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A Politician is More Concerned About Votes, but a Leader Cares About People:
When it comes to gaining votes, most politicians think of all the ways to get more votes and the confidence of people. They temporarily address their needs and focus on whatever is helpful for them. But the point is, they do not take any steps for the community who are poor, dependent, and don’t have any sources to fulfill basic needs.
If you want to know the real difference between a leader and a politician, just find out how they treat people who cannot vote for them?
Find out how they behave with the general public. You will find that they are concerned about their own benefits more than the community.
But if we talk about leaders, then you will find them peaceful and reliable. They treat people respectfully and they don’t care about whether people can give them any kind of benefit or not. True leaders tend to generate the society of leaders by helping them grow. They address their needs and concerns and think of all the ways that can help poor people.
A Politician Campaigns for an Election, but a Leader Supports a Cause:
That’s another difference between a politician and a leader.
A politician is the one who is more concerned about launching campaigns for winning the election. He is always after his selfish ambitions and self-interest. He goes above and beyond to achieve votes and makes long speeches to persuade people that yes, he is the right choice for the community. In short, he plays with words and zero in actions.
While a leader raises support for the most important missions. He supports a worthy cause that proves helpful for the nation’s development.
Instead of doing long speeches in front of the public, he acts responsibly. He is more concerned about his actions and not sugar coating his words like politicians.
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A Politician is Interested in Power and Position, but a Leader is Interested in Support & Development:
A politician is more interested in power, position, and entitlements attached with his name. He works for his own selfish reasons to raise his standards. He tends to win the support of the people instead of offering them support and working for their wellbeing.
But on the other side, a leader is more interested in supporting his people. He works for the progress and development of the people who can’t do anything for themselves. He doesn’t care about positions, status, entitlements, and power. All he wants is a good, established, and healthy community that contributes to society and works for the development of the country.
A Politician Over Promises but under delivers, but a Leader Under Promises and Over Delivers:
Well, this is a very common trait of politicians and leaders.
If you want to know the difference between them, focus on what they promise and what they deliver.
Remember, a politician is someone who over promises. He promises good education, food for the poor, and a high-quality healthcare system. He does this because he has to win elections and votes. But what actually happens is, they under-deliver. If he promises 10/10 results, he will deliver 5/10.
Unlike politicians, leaders are not someone who promises excellent things. Instead, he always asks that he will try his best to meet people’s needs. And then he goes the extra mile in achieving his targets. He does what he has not even promised and delivers more than people’s expectations.
A Politician Always Mixes Lies with Truths, but a Leader is Always True and Transparent:
We have always seen that every politician tends to mix lies with truths and leave everybody confused. People cannot decide what is true and what is a lie. When you find out details about the politician, you won’t find anything impressive. They won’t let you know anything about their personal life so that you can’t discover something they are hiding.
On the other hand, a leader always tells the truth. They do not need to hide their identity or anything. They are open, true, and transparent. They are fair to their policies. When you follow a leader, the more you will look, the more you will see and know about them.
Politicians are Pleasers, but Leaders are Servers:
Another thing that differentiates a politician from a leader is, politicians are very big pleasers. They give people the news they want to hear. They do not make people upset. Instead, they say that everything is fine, and their party is working for their betterment.
Every politician tends to set his direction from voting and polling, and what most people think about them.
But in other cases, leaders are servers. They do not manipulate people with false news. They share the truth and ask people to face the challenge. They make their direction from the rules & principles they set so they can decide what could be the best approach for people.
In fact, sometimes a politician adjusts his clothes according to the people he is going to meet so he can relate, and people praise him and accept him.
However, leaders are always true to themselves, they do not change their appearances according to different situations. They are always willing to take the heat and face challenges.
A Politician Often Manipulates, but a Leader Always Confronts:
A politician is always motivated by his personal interests, goals, and ambitions. He wants to see his dreams come true and tend to advance his value and status in society. He wants sacrifices from people but is not ready to make any. They lack expertise, honesty, or integrity. They only know how to manipulate people for their own objectives.
On the other hand, leaders confront reality. They are not motivated by status and are concerned about the future of the people. They can make difficult decisions and are ready to suffer loss to accomplish their mission. They only choose what’s best for their people in the long run, and not what’s best for their personal well being.
Who Would You Choose?
We are not saying that politicians are bad people and only cause harm to society.
A good politician can also be a good leader if he follows the same approaches that are beneficial for people. Instead of focusing on his own needs, a politician can follow the footsteps of leaders and find out what tactics a leader implements for society.
So, before you go and vote for a political party, always keep these differences in your mind and decide what’s best for society, and not for their party.
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