Whenever we hear the term, ‘great leader’, some names naturally crop up in our minds from that of Mahatma Gandhi, Subhas Chandra Bose, Nelson Mandela and Angela Merkel to Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Elon Musk, and many others but do we stop to think what makes them such great leaders? What makes them so special? What is their secret to success?

Strong leaders possess skills to effectively and positively interact with their teams to achieve shared goals. To some, these skills may come naturally, but many others learn them with experience and training.

A great leadership trait is the ability to foster relationships with co-workers, key suppliers and customers among others. As you grow, your list may expand to include stakeholders, investors, the media, trade bodies and so on. When you create meaningful relationships with others, you will be in a better position to work effectively together.

Today, many companies have leadership development programs, but everyone cannot be chosen to undergo these. So, without waiting endlessly and hoping that, someday, you and your teammates will be selected for such a program, you can take the initiative and act now. You can do it by developing leadership skills in yourself along with your colleagues. By motivating others, you can sustain and improve your performance, too. But, to build effective relationships, you should first assess your own strengths and weaknesses. Try to increase your self-awareness and see how you interact with coworkers. Measure your reactions to them and observe how they respond to you, too.

Key skills you should acquire to build relationships as a successful leader…

Be a Good Communicator

To build strong relationships as an effective leader, you must first become a great communicator. This does not mean you have to master the art of talking. Most individuals can talk perfectly well. But a good leader not only offers integrity and honesty when they speak. What makes them different is that they also know when to listen to others. They understand that talking clearly and keeping to the point enhances communication skills. They also have the capacity to recognize the underlying meanings of words and phrases while communicating with others.

Problem Solving
Your ability to solve problems naturally will also help you build relationships. It may be important for you to let your team solve their own problems, but the buck will stop with you. You can solve most problems by applying an easy four-step model—defining the issue, identifying possible solutions, assessing and choosing a viable move, and, finally, carrying out the selected approach.

Motivating others
You can try to recognize the value and strengths of those working under you and inspire them to work even better. By doing so, you can have people around you doing incredible work. Work will be satisfying and assignments will be achieved when you have a resourceful team for collaboration.

Being a role model
Always act with integrity. Your teammates will come to trust that you work with integrity and appreciate this in you. Having humility and the willingness to admit mistakes and by accepting accountability you can show an element that is mostly overlooked as a role model trait.

Encouraging Others
Growth becomes easier when you come out of your comfort zone. When you encourage teammates to step out and try something new and challenging, you are encouraging their growth. This will help them progress professionally.

If your team members share ideas, encourage them more. Ask them to come up with ideas. You can even help them by providing some initiatives, if possible.

Finding Shared Prospects
If you’re working on a deliverable or initiative that your teammate might be able to positively contribute to while gaining new exposure, it could benefit both of you to have them help. You can share information about things you are working on and find chances of partnerships and contributions.

Celebrate Success
When your teammate successfully tackles a tough challenge or wins an award for outstanding work, congratulate him/her sincerely. Celebrate in an appropriate way for your team whether going out for lunch, or simply acknowledging someone’s success. This encourages support within a team.

Any individual can acquire skills to build meaningful relationships. You can begin with a self-audit to figure out where you can make your greatest contribution. Mastering these major relationship-building skills mentioned here can provide you with a head start.