Leadership skills are not just about your ability to be responsible, delegate, or make decisions. We often confuse the traits of a good manager with a good leader. Sure, you may be good at pushing your team to reach targets on time and managing everyone’s strengths, but do they actually respect you? Do they want to be led by you?

A leader is so much more than their productivity. Essentially, a great leader is always a good person.

If you notice the one thing that most leaders have in common, it is that they are very charismatic. This charisma comes from their ability to show that they care about you. They talk to you like you matter, and this makes you want to listen to them.

If you want to become a leader that everyone actually respects, you have to focus on how you treat others.

Dale Carnegie, in his famous book ‘How to Win Friends and Influence People’, shares the following lessons:

Firstly, become a good listener. Encourage people to talk about themselves and listen with genuine interest. This makes the other person feel like their opinions matter and people love those who make them feel important.

Secondly, be more considerate about how you share criticism. Don’t be harsh and unappreciative of everything they have done for you. Instead, begin by sharing genuine praise and then talk about their mistake in a way that seems easy to correct. The most important thing is to never make a person feel like they cannot do anything right. Be as encouraging as you can so that they feel motivated to do it correctly the next time.

Lastly, treat everyone with a high amount of respect – regardless of their rank. Remember the names of the janitor, the kitchen worker, and the security- all those people who often get ignored. And don’t forget to smile and greet everyone cheerfully when you see them.

These are traits of a good person, someone who is nice and considerate. If these qualities don’t come naturally to you, don’t worry. Just be more aware of these things each and every day and they will become a habit.

Seek to inspire more people; not just with your work but also with your personality. A great leader is one who commands respect without having to resort to threats. Being nice will actually help you get more work done than you could ever imagine.