Leadership skills you must develop

If you want to improve your leadership skills or train someone to be a future leader, here are some pointers to help:

Make them a part of your vision

Interpersonal communication has to be an integral part of a leader's skill set. If a team only has a vague idea of the company's goals, they'll also only have a vague understanding of how to help reach them. It's necessary that you communicate with your team what your story, goals, vision and expectations are.

Communication is the cupid of any good love story! Just like in every relationship, communication solves most of the issues. The same goes in your relationship with your teams. Let them know that you need them to work together to achieve your vision, which in return helps them achieve theirs.

Don't hesitate to highlight their small wins!

Recognition at work is something every individual desires.

Fostering an environment that not only encourages individuals to perform better but also rewards or applauds them for their wins and progress is important to ensure they feel valued and assures them that their work is noticed.

Tangible rewards are of course a plus, but not always necessary. It may also not be feasible in case you are a new or growing company. But that shouldn't stop you from awarding and appreciating them. It can be something as simple as an appreciation mail or awarding 'best employee of the month' accolades.

Be a mentor not a boss

If you want to prove that you are a good leader, try to be a mentor than just being a boss. Rather than commanding orders and sounding authoritative, a leader should encourage growth by teaching or leading by example.

Individuals won't grow if they aren't taught anything valuable in life or at the workplace. Every individual wants a leader or a boss who has a heart and cares for his/her people.

No one wants to work under harsh leaders who denigrate him/her and make him/her feel bad. Individuals tend to respond well to managers or leaders with a strong sense of compassion. Be the boss you wanted when you were an intern.

Accept feedback positively

When you communicate you tend to accept feedback positively, it creates an environment of productivity.

It's not just your team that benefits from feedback, you need to ask them for feedback too and accept it positively. It shows that you too are human and learn every day from your mistakes. Nobody has all the answers and it certainly helps to see things from a variety of perspectives.

Think macro

Most leadership books, videos, podcasts and blogs talk about how the greatest strength of a leader is to be able to think about the 'big picture'.

The very essence of a CEO along with several other things is to lead like a futurist.As an entity that is giving direction to the growth of the company, it is imperative that you think of things from a bird's eye perspective.

It is important to remember that the sole reason why you have on boarded other people with subject matter expertise is so that they can get things done on a daily basis and keep the show up and running. A great leader requires a range of qualities and leadership skills that will encourage the team to follow and stand strong in times of success and adversity. She needs to be constantly growing, improving and moving forward.

(The author is the COO and co-founder of One Impact, a digital branding company)