If you ask people around you to define leadership, chances are there will be a large variety of answers. Words like coach, power and respect are often riddles in the responses but the same general tone to describe leadership is someone with influence.
Oftentimes though, people mistake leaders for some in high ranking positions when leaders can be found even in the most entry-level positions. The key is fostering those early leadership skills to support a possible rise in position status within the company.
The most fundamental foundation to any strong leader is trust. When times get tough, it is important that employees have trust in their leader to be the calm in the storm. Establishing an environment that allows for vulnerability fosters the ability for employees to think independently with the notion that failure is okay and encourages bridging the gap between the executives and the team they manage.
Communication goes hand-in-hand with trust. Employees need to trust that they can communicate with their leader. Setting forth a pragmatic point of view will challenge employees to think about how they can improve on mistakes made and enable them to creatively work to find solutions in the future. Disclosing noncritical company information, both successes and failures, provides employees with a sense of belonging as they begin to understand their role through both a micro and macro view of the company.