Top 5 Leadership Skills to Build Trust & Influence

Forget boss vibes—these 5 leadership traits are the real MVPs of building trust, driving results, and not secretly annoying your team.

Real talk before we begin:

If you had to rate your leadership style… would you follow yourself into battle—or just quietly mute your own Slack messages? 🫠

See, real leadership isn’t about barking orders or throwing around titles like confetti. It’s about building the kind of trust that makes people WANT to follow you—even when the WiFi’s spotty and the project’s on fire.

So what’s the magic sauce? According to Arden University (and every team member who’s ever endured a bad boss), here are the 5 secret ingredients every good leader brings to the table:

1️⃣ Self-Awareness: Knowing When You’re The Problem

Great leaders aren’t allergic to feedback. They actually ask for it—and then, plot twist, do something with it.

If you can’t spot your own blind spots, congratulations—you just made your team responsible for dodging your ego landmines. 🎉

2️⃣ Relationship-Building: Because No One Follows a Robot

People don’t follow job titles. They follow humans.

The best leaders know their people—not just their KPIs, but their work quirks, secret talents, and what snack bribes actually work.

💬 Pro Tip: “How’s life outside of work?” hits harder than “Circle back on this by EOD.”

3️⃣ Vision: Selling the ‘Why,’ Not Just the ‘What’

If your team feels like they’re shoveling tasks into a void, they’ll mentally quit before lunchtime.

Great leaders paint a clear picture of where you’re going—and why it matters. Not just to the company, but to them.

🚀 People need a reason to care. Give them one.

4️⃣ Resilience: Smiling Through the Chaos

Let’s be honest: Plans flop. Tech breaks. Clients ghost. And your calm is contagious (or your panic is).

Resilient leaders take the hit without throwing a tantrum—or their team—under the bus. They find the lesson, crack a joke, and keep moving.

5️⃣ Decisiveness: Because ‘Let’s Circle Back’ Isn’t a Strategy

Nothing drains trust faster than a leader who can’t make a call.

Good leaders don’t always get it right—but they own the decision, explain why they made it, and adjust if needed. No ghosting. No passive-aggressive delays. Just action.

Want To Level Up Your Leadership Game? Start With These:

📚 The Culture Code by Daniel Coyle (for team-building secrets)
📚 Radical Candor by Kim Scott (for feedback that actually lands)
📚 Dare to Lead by Brené Brown (because courage beats perfection every time)

Final Pep Talk (Because You Deserve It)

You don’t need to be born a “natural leader.” You just need to show up, listen hard, decide fast, and own your mess.

Do that, and people will follow you—not because they have to, but because they want to. 💪