Everyone has a unique management style, but this year, our writers and contributors found that the most effective leaders have an ability to discover unexpected opportunities, share ideas in a way that gets other people excited and surround themselves with smart, passionate people.

Here are Entrepreneur's top 10 leadership stories of 2014.

10. For Better Conversations, Replace 'How Are You?' With This One Phrase
A strong leader is a great communicator – someone who's both an inquisitive conversationalist and an engaged, active listener. Everyone wants to be heard, and etiquette coach and entrepreneur Jacqueline Whitmore says you can start connecting better by asking more open-ended questions, such as "Tell me, what did you enjoy the most about the conference?"

9. Employers Benefit Most When Every Hiring Candidate Has a Good Experience
There's no doubt about it, looking for a job is stressful, whether you’re the job seeker or the manager who wants to find the right person for their team. Maintaining office morale starts with the first interview, and keeping the lines of communication and honesty open (with updates and feedback in both directions) go a long way towards making the hiring process constructive for everyone.

8. Habits of the World's Wealthiest People (Infographic)
There are more than 30 million millionaires on the planet. For those who want to join their ranks, it may be worth taking a peek at the activities they do regularly. Among them: exercise, eat healthy, read voraciously and network, network, network.

7. 9 Things Successful People Won't Do
Feelings and emotions can affect our work in ways we don't even realize. High-performing leaders understand that staying positive – not holding grudges, dwelling on problems, or spending time focusing on negative influences -- is an integral part setting and accomplishing their goals.

6. Successful Entrepreneurs Do These 5 Things Daily
We have all experienced failure, but career consultant Meiko Patton says that there are ways you can learn from these obstacles and channel them into something even more fulfilling. Patton says that disciplined leaders who aren’t afraid to fail, and who take time to recharge and help others are well on their way to long-term success.

5. 50 Signs You Might Be an Entrepreneur
Are you hardworking, driven, competitive, collaborative, imaginative, a people person or a problem-solver? Then you may just be an entrepreneur.

4. Is Your Brain Limiting Your Entrepreneurial Success?
It's human nature to look for patterns – and to only see what we want or expect, from our past experience. But an innovative leader is always on the lookout for new opportunities and prospects and points of view, wherever they go.

3. You'll Never Hear Successful People Say These 15 Phrases
If you’re building a new company, take phrases like "I don’t know what that is," "I did everything on my own," or "if our competitors don't have it, then we don't need it" out of your lexicon. A successful entrepreneur knows they can't go it alone – and that there is always something new to learn.

2. The SEAL Teams Don't Accept These 10 Phrases, and Neither Should You
To run a tight ship, you can't go wrong by taking a page or two out of the SEAL Team playbook. Hold yourself and your team accountable and be decisive – which means you should avoid saying something like “Let’s hold off on this issue until the next meeting,” or "I can't do that."

1. Chart Goals to Create a Road Map to Your Success
Don’t be intimidated by the scope of your idea – create smaller checkpoints that build up to your bigger achievement. Resilient leaders push themselves to accomplish their goals, but allow some room to change or improvise as they go.