Good leaders are made not born. If you don't believe this, then there is little that you can do to become a better leader. While some people may be more outgoing or extroverted, these traits alone will not determine whether or not they will succeed as leaders; in fact, people with a wide range of personality traits have become successful leaders by using different styles of leadership. It is also true that leadership is more of an art than a science meaning that there is no one magic formula for success; however there are fundamental principles that can be learned by anyone and used to make them better leaders. Here are five tips on how you can improve your style as a leader:

Commitment to leadership: Being good at anything requires a commitment. You must decide that being a good leader is something that you really want to do and make a conscious decision to be the best. A half-hearted commitment will not be good enough. If you don't have a passion for being a leader or simply are doing it because you want to earn more money or please someone else, then you will never succeed to your full potential as a leader. Like any other endeavor in life, the best of the best have a burning passion for their chosen field. In this regard, leadership is no different.

360 Feedback: As the co-author of the One-Minute Manager, Ken Blanchard says that "Feedback is the breakfast of champions." This book is one of the most popular business books of all time largely because of its simple truths. All human endeavors require feedback for improved performance. Whether you are trying to learn how to talk as a child or improve your skills as a professional athlete, you can only make progress by modeling what good performance looks like and benchmarking your own performance through feedback. Learning leadership is no different than learning other skills. All good leaders seek feedback from the boss, their peers, and subordinates on how they are performing and what they can improve upon. Getting and using 360 degree feedback from people you impact as a leader will help you to identify what you do well and what you can improve. Only then can you make progress for improved performance.

Understand how to use a flexible leadership style. Research show that there are a variety of leadership styles that leaders can use. Daniel Goleman, the author of Leadership that Gets Results and an expert on Emotional Intelligence (EI) describes six leadership styles: Coercive, Authoritative, Affiliative, Democratic, Pacesetting, and Coaching. He concludes that there is no one best style. Good leaders are flexible and use their EI to determine what style will work best in a given situation. They adapt their style to the situation to maximize results. Getting results is ultimately what leadership is all about.

Seek out a mentor: Although the common myth about success is that people are self-made, it is more often the case that they have had a lot of help along their journey to become successful. Often the help is provided by one or more mentors who have experience and can be a guide to getting to where you want to go. Good leaders will find mentors who helped them not only improve their leadership skills, but also provide them leadership opportunities too. If you want to succeed as a leader, find someone who has already done what you want to do and ask them to be your mentor. Good leaders usually enjoy being mentors and will often provide you with the support you need.

Develop a values based leadership philosophy: Great leaders have spent time thinking about what is important to them. They have a set of values that guide their decisions and behaviors. The best leaders have not only thought about their values, but have also defined a leadership philosophy. This philosophy will guide them on how they deal with others and make decisions. It will also sustain them during times of crisis and challenges so that they can have the courage to move ahead in the face of adversity. If you haven't already thought about your values and philosophy, then take the time to do so. It will help you become a better leader.

Becoming a good leader is not easy, and it requires commitment, study, and constant improvement. While there are lots of other things that you can do to become a more effective leader, these five tips are among the most important things that you can do. Pick the one thing that will help you the most from this list and get started today on becoming a better leader.