A leader is only as good as his team. A good leader recognises the worth of all his team members and makes them realise that their contributions are invaluable to the organisation's growth and success. Appreciation gives team members greater confidence in their abilities, thereby making them more willing to be creative and take chances.

Besides rewarding their teams for the work they do, leaders should also inspire them to reach their full potential. It is beyond doubt that actions speak louder than words and to be able to motivate their teams to grow and improve, leaders should constantly strive to better themselves. They should set examples for their subordinates, earning respect by practicing what they preach.

Leadership involves two steps: helping subordinates take advantage of their talents, and then fine-tuning their performance should the need arise to do so. But there are always times when a leader's intentions don't translate into reality. When this happens, a leader must not blame his team members and on the other hand take the entire credit when the team is successful.

Good leaders always take responsibility for both the success and failure of their teams. While subordinates might want to pass on the blame to others in case of mistakes, leaders have to ultimately claim all responsibility for them. A successful leader is also one who knows that while he may head the team and be responsible for its performance, far more is achieved through teamwork than through solo efforts.

Leaders also possess a lot of power, but a good leader is one who realises the fact that power should be exercised judiciously to turn their dreams into a reality.