Being successful is a holistic approach and successful leaders are not just about mastering technical skills but also the soft skills. Also known as interpersonal skills, like relationship management, morale building, these are bound to be more effective in contributing to one being a better leader. A few must have soft skills in a leader are-

1. Listening- Good leaders are not only skilled at conveying their thoughts but they are also adept at listening to what the others have to say. With great listening comes great power. It sends out the message that others’ opinion matters and your undivided attention might benefit you both working together.
2. Communication- Needless to say, a strong two-way communication channel wherein both parties are able to articulate their thoughts is essential in establishing and maintaining any relationship. Any work-space wherein the ideas flow effectively ensures productivity.
3. Negotiating- The leaders negotiate throughout the day with clients, with employees, teammates. But what makes the difference is how you handle the negotiation. Giving away your viewpoint without considering others is harmful. You need to be considerate and objective in approach.
4. Body Language- Actions speak louder than words. So how you maintain your demeanor and the way you carry yourself around the office as well as during conversations is something that matter the most. Maintaining eye contact, carrying yourself confidently, without fidgeting speaks a lot about you in general and conveys that you are not disinterested in a conversation.
5. Connecting With Employees and Colleagues- It is not always about you since you are the one in power. It is imperative to have a healthy relation with the people you are working with, giving them the due respect and importance in order to maintain a cohesive working environment.
6. Saying NO- Being a leader, it is essential to know where to draw the line and where to say no to your employees. Always saying yes or no is useless. Either ways it is a bad idea as it may portray you as an extremist. You should have a fair judgement over here.
7. Giving Critical Feedback- A leader should be able to say whenever the employee is not performing up to the optimum level. Giving constructive criticism is highly important in order to maintain high working standards in which case sugar coating never helps but being upfront and specific does.
8. Maintaining Professionalism- If you are a friendly boss then maintaining professionalism could take some effort from your end. Defining the fine line between personal and professional ties is crucial and beneficial.
9. Managing Change- Change is unavoidable and people’s take on change is a pretty subjective matter. Everyone’s response to change is different wherein they need assurance, guidance and reliability from their leader.
10. Dealing With Complaints- Leaders are under constant scrutiny of their employees. Strong leadership is when you are able to handle these complaints tactfully and in all fairness by not being a complainer yourself, for the starters.