Whilst some people believe that great leaders are born, others are convinced that anybody can become a good leader with the right training, dedication, and attitude. Regardless of how you believe you have developed your skills, one of the main qualities of a good leader is that they will never stop learning, developing, and improving their employability. We’ve put together a list of suggestions to inspire you to consider your current leadership abilities and what you can do to improve them even more.

#1. Be Open to Learning More:

A good leader knows that there’s always going to be something else to learn or develop on. There’s no way that one person can be the best at everything, and the best leaders are very aware of this. To learn more, it can often mean being open to suggestions from your peers or even from people who are working in roles beneath you; there’s always going to be somebody that you can learn from when it comes to a certain topic, even if they’re not as advanced as you in terms of their career. The best leaders are pro-active when it comes to learning, too.

If you’re leading a team on a certain project or campaign, you might want to consider signing up for extra training to make sure that your knowledge is up to scratch; this not only enhances your own abilities, but it will make it easier for you to teach and guide your team as they work. In addition, you can find many leadership training course options that you might want to sign up to in order to help you become a better boss to others. Online can be a good place to find information on training courses and training opportunities.

#2. Be Approachable and Kind:

If you’ve ever worked for a boss who’s unapproachable, you’ll know just how frustrating it can be from a worker’s point of view. No matter what level you have reached in your career, nobody enjoys working for somebody who they feel afraid to come to with any issues that they may be having. Similarly, it’s not enjoyable working for a boss who’s always shut away in their office and doesn’t make any time for their team. The best leaders understand that without their team, they would not have been able to get to where they are today. To get the best results from your team, be the kind of boss who always has an open door and is always happy to listen to suggestions, issues, and anything else that their team may need to bring up. You may not always be able to provide a solution straight away, but simply listening and supporting can be massively helpful.

#3. Trust Your Team:

Nobody likes to be micro-managed; in fact, constantly nagging at your team to get things done can leave them feeling that you expect the worst from them. Even when it comes to team members who may need a little extra encouragement, simply trusting them to improve if they have said that they will try to can go a long way. Being trusted with tasks and knowing that your boss has faith in you to get things done can be very empowering for many employees and can even spur them on by motivating them to do the best job that they can. Be the kind of boss that employees want to make proud!

#4. Be a Positive Role Model:

Leaders know that their job isn’t just about telling others what to do. In fact, your employees will look to you as a role model for their work; as a leader, your actions will set the tone for what is and isn’t acceptable and appropriate in the office. You may have already established rules and guidelines for your employees to follow, in addition to actions or behaviors that will not be tolerated at work. The best way to encourage employees to follow the rules is to set a shining example yourself; demonstrating the behavior that you want to see is always a better way to gain respect for the rules than simply enforcing them.

#5. Admit Your Mistakes:

Whilst it’s good to share the credit for successes with your team, you should also be prepared to admit and own up to your mistakes when needed. Good leaders all tend to have one main quality in common; humility. If you don’t know the solution to a problem, your employees will have more respect for you if you are able to admit to this and apologize that you cannot help them straight away. This, alongside demonstrating your willingness to learn more and conduct research to improve your knowledge shows your human side, helping you to gain the respect of others. In addition, setting the example that it’s OK to admit when you’re wrong teaches your employees to do the same and helps avoid having the ‘blame game’ played in your organization.

#6. Be Sensitive to Others:

Whilst some may say that there’s no room for emotions and sensitivities in the business world, a good leader understands that the people whom they are working with are, after all, only human. A wise leader will always strive to be aware of the sensitivities of others and doing all that they can to accommodate the different members of their team when it comes to helping them perform at their best. A good leader gets to know his or her team members in order to treat them according to their own individual strengths, weaknesses, preferences, and personalities. Team members who know that you’re willing to acknowledge and respect their opinions and are willing to take the time to get to know them better as people will feel more valued in the workplace, leading to better satisfaction, productivity growth and increased loyalty.

#7. Encourage Creativity:

A good leader is aware that they may not always have all the answers. Encouraging members of your team to be creative, come up with their own ideas, offer solutions to problems and voice their ideas will not only foster better communication within the workplace, but can also encourage a deeper commitment from employees who know that their ideas are valued, appreciated, and used where possible. As a result, you’ll also be constantly learning new things from your team, enabling you to come up with better ways to not only serve them, but also when it comes to succeeding with work projects and campaigns.

#8. Have a Positive Outlook:

Last but not least, it’s important to have a positive outlook, even when it’s difficult to think positively. It can be easy to see the best in everything when things are going well, but the real challenge lies in keeping this up when everything seems to be falling apart. Even in the worst situations, a leader who has a positive attitude about things will encourage staff members to remain encouraged to succeed, along with keeping an upbeat atmosphere and good morale in the workplace. A positive leader views mistakes and failures as learning curves and always takes something constructive from them for the future.

Being committed to constantly improving your leadership skills will enable you to encourage and empower your team to work at their best.