Some people are leaders and others are followers. Some people have to work harder at it than others. Still, leadership qualities are an elusive thing to capture. Leadership knows few masters. Read this article to learn more about becoming a leader.

Great leaders are inspirational and they welcome creativity. When you take risks and use creative thinking, you are more likely to succeed. Try exploring possibilities and following curiosity. Do not hesitate to embrace innovation, even if it does not have immediate application. Allow others to have some say within the big picture.

Honesty is a critical leadership quality. Good leaders should be trustworthy. As you are proving and developing yourself as a bright leader, remain honest and transparent with those around you. It is only when people are positive that they can trust you that they will look up to you as a real leader.

If you manage people, tell them that you appreciate their work. Taking a moment out of your day to show your appreciation is extremely important in building a positive work environment. You can increase company loyalty for free with just a few words.

Don’t pretend that you know everything just because you are in a leadership position. Listen to others’ suggestions and see if they may have a better idea than you do. Others are able to contribute ideas to improving your own, ways to implement your ideas or even offer constructive criticism on the weaknesses.

Be sure you are an approachable leader. People often make the mistake of believing that intimidation is a good leadership strategy. That is not the right path, and you will be loathe to find success that way. Communicate your availability to help employees sort through difficult issues and obstacles in their jobs.

Prepare for group meetings. Anticipate their questions in advance. Spend some time thinking of what your answers will be. Employees have more respect for leaders who are able to answer their questions. It also will save you significant amounts of time.

Give incentives for well done work. These are salaried employees quite often, but incentives can make a major impact on productivity. For example if an employee does more than is required, a simple token gift is an effective means to encourage other team players. Great leaders never skimp in this area.

Now you should have the confidence to become a great leader. Your confidence is the key to building confidence in others. Use the things you have learned here to become the great leader you have always wanted to be. You can work for the success of the team, and they can help you achieve that.