Anyone can be a leader given the opportunity, but being a good leader requires a bit more effort. In order for your team to look up to you, you must be an effective communicator and delegator who is honest, positive and committed. You must also avoid these five mistakes, identified by Inc.

Keeping up with the old boys’ club

It may be tempting to arm yourself with an executive team that shares your same attributes and experiences, but employing a more diverse group of leaders results in different ideas and improved problem solving, Inc. states.

Micromanaging

It can be difficult to let employees take full reigns sometimes, but whatever passion your workers had for the job will likely vanish if you’re constantly stifling their creativity and not allowing them to make decisions. Instead, remember that you hired smart, capable, hardworking people who may pleasantly surprise you if given the chance.

Leading through fear

You do need to instill a level of authority over your team in order to be respected, but you never have to do that through fear. If you make it so employees are afraid to ask questions, make mistakes or share ideas, you’ll miss out on opportunities that could lead to greater financial growth.

Inactively listening

The saying “communication is a two-way street” is an old one, but vital for any good leader to remember. Your ego should never overpower your ability to absorb ideas, opinions, and constructive feedback from staff. Doing so can make employees feel undervalued, which is a serious killer of employee morale.

Hogging the spotlight

No business earns success single-handedly, so it’s important to give credit when group efforts are made, whether it’s publicly recognizing a specific committee within your company during a speech or profiling an employee on the firm's social media pages for his or her contributions that month. 

For more mistakes good leaders should avoid, click here.