Being A Better Leader: 5 Small Things You Can Start Doing Right Now To Earn People’s Trust

You never master the art of leadership.

This is something that seems to be missing from the public conversation around how to be an effective leader — in the workplace, in the world at large, and even at home with family and friends. Leadership isn’t a destination, it is a process: a never-ending practice that takes years to develop, and at any moment can feel like a massive fail.

We all, at some point or another, forget how to be great leaders.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned about leadership over the course of my career, it’s that the soft skills are what matter most. It’s really not about being seen as the person in charge, or dressing a certain way, or reminding the people around you that you’re the final decision-maker.

It’s about learning how to communicate in a way that other people trust.

Here are five small ways you can start doing that right now.

1. Change up your feedback style so people know you mean what you say.

If you say, “Good job” to every person you work with, for every single thing they do, those words are going to lose their meaning.