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In the workplace there are bosses and there are leaders, though the two are very distinct, there is only a fine line between the two. Here are a few differences between a boss and a leader:

Leaders Lead

Leaders tend to motivate employees, working beside them on projects, giving them inspiration and ideas. Employees will thus follow the example set by their leader, helping them to become leaders on future projects. However, bosses push employees to finish assignments before deadlines, don't give much advice, and leave their workforce without strong guidance. This lack of involvement creates dissatisfaction and a loss of respect among the employees for their boss.

Leaders Listen

Leaders are more likely to listen to and value what employees have to say before speaking up themselves. Leaders value equality in their assignments and have a deeper respect for their employees than the average boss. Bosses are more likely to be dominant when having conversations with their employees, expecting their staff to carry out commands without question. This leads to employees feeling undervalued, as they are not truly being heard.

Leaders Work

Leaders are most likely giving suggestions, working alongside employees, and motivating the team when working on a large project. This hands-on approach shows employees their leader values his time the same as he values theirs. Bosses tend to stand aside and supervise when a project is started, only interacting to give commands or criticism. This hands-off approach restricts the creativity of employees, ultimately making them less motivated.

Leaders Are Respected, Not Feared

Leaders rarely have to force employees to complete tasks, as they are beside their team for every step of a project. Therefore, their team is more likely to already understand what is expected of them, so there is no reason for them to fear their leader. Bosses, however, tend to give more orders and less guidance, leaving employees in a state of intimidation by their boss as they do not know what is expected of them.

Keeping employees interested in their daily routines can be difficult. After doing the same activities daily, people tend to become less engaged in their responsibilities. Here are some ways to keep employees interested and engaged:

Encourage Creativity

Being forced to carry out tasks, in the same manner, every day creates a monotonous environment for your employees, this will lower engagement and make it harder to find employees willing to take on extra tasks. Encourage your employees to be creative with their workspace, projects they're working on, or how they tackle tasks. The more creative your employees can be, the more likely they are to engage in the workplace and volunteer for any extra assignments.

Decorate

Many workplaces are devoid of décor and are painted in the simplest way to avoid distractions, unfortunately for employers, this can backfire. Drab surroundings leave employees unmotivated, adding plants can avoid this lull by keeping employees focused on their tasks. Plants also remove bacteria and dust from the air, creating a cleaner environment.

Recognize Success

When employees feel as if their work is not being noticed, they tend to become disengaged with their tasks. Employers can help keep employees engaged by recognizing when they make a vital addition to a project, take a leadership role, or just have a good work ethic for a difficult task. Employers can recognize employees through personalized emails or just thanking them for their addition to the team.

Keep Busy

Most employees prefer to stay busy through their entire shift rather than being bored. Staying busy tends to make time go by faster, this helps cut out days beginning to feel monotonous which will help employees stay interested longer.

The team is going to be at its peak performance when all of the members of the team are performing their best, here’s how to ensure that your employees are performing their best:

Set Goals

Set goals for your employees, so they know what your expectations are early on. Setting goals helps to ensure that your employees are at their peak performance. Employees are performing at their best when they know what is expected of them.

Develop A Plan

Employees also perform their best when they know how to go about achieving what is expected of them. Developing a plan will help ensure that your employees are meeting your goals, which will ultimately improve the overall functionality of the team.

Empower And Assess Your Employees

Rewarding employees for accomplishments will encourage positive behaviors and ensure that they are performing their best on future tasks. Even simply letting employees know that they're doing a great job can be enough to empower employees to keep doing the same great work. 

Conferences. For some, that word brings out a sigh as they picture boring speakers that go on for days. A new age of conferences has arisen and become a very important tool in networking, learning about the field, and keeping up to date on the latest developments. Essentially, conferences are about throwing some of the most important people in a particular industry or career field and forcing them to teach and interact with each other. These meetings are designed for those already working at the companies, but those are not the people who are going to get the most benefit from the speakers, panels, and dinners that comprise a conference.

The people that have the most to gain from attending conferences are undergraduate students, recent graduates, and those looking to switch career fields. They are the ones who can benefit from listening to speakers who talk about current research in the field, meeting managers and heads of divisions of the big companies in the field, and talking to people already employed to see what it is truly like to work in that career. These are the people that conferences need to be marketing to because they have the most to gain. How else is an undergraduate going to know if they are better off working in engineering or computer systems? Conferences allow an unparalleled chance for learning and reaching out to others that students may never meet otherwise. They can network and find jobs while also showing companies the kind of talent that is soon to be entering the workforce.

Conferences can be utilized by both employers and future employees to start a process of learning about new advances, making friends, and connecting as a community that serves the same career field.