Leadership Series: Being Approachable
Updated: Jul 4
What does it mean to be approachable? Is it a useful quality in a good leader?
The Cambridge Dictionary defines the word 'approachable' as being friendly and easy to talk to. When it comes to being easy to talk to, this is a quality that puts people at ease. In other words, if they feel they can open up to you, communication will flow more smoothly.
Moreover, employees who feel comfortable talking to their manager will be more likely to do so when they experience a difficulty they can't handle on their own.
On the other hand, if a member of staff feels nervous or anxious about speaking to the person in charge, they may try to overcome a problem by themselves. While this might be appropriate sometimes, they could end up doing so when something has become serious and needs to be escalated.
There could be a knock-on effect if something isn't escalated when it should be: unhappy customers, complaints, and potentially a loss of reputation for the company.
When staff feel safe to address any issue with management, that will have a positive ripple effect. Any potential problems can be flagged early, and that will contribute to a professional environment with productive employees.
How can you be approachable?
If you are in an office with a door, ensure it is left open throughout the day. This signals that people can pop in to speak to you if needed. Equally important, though, is our body language. So, while the door being open is important, our body langauge should be relaxed. This will signal to others that it is okay to come in and chat with us.
Another way is to have regular check-ins. This can be daily or weekly, as your schedule allows. Something as simple as walking to someone's desk and asking how their day is going, or what's going on, will build rapport and trust. These micro chats can be very beneficial.
Share the decision-making process. How? When in a meeting with your team, talk aloud through a decision, the factors involved, and the different courses of action open to the company. Then team members will feel comfortable contributing ideas. Although you may still be making the final decision, your employees will feel valued and their ideas respected.
Admit mistakes. This one is hard as few of us want to talk about errors we have made. However, if we do so, then others will feel that it is safe to do so too. It creates a 'safe space'.
Put ourselves in their shoes. At one time, most of us were junior employees. Do you still remember that feeling of trepidation when you needed to go and tell the boss something you knew was going to go down badly? Being approachable means that people feel safe coming to us, even to disclose an issue that is serious. Keeping in mind how we felt in the past will help us to have a calm and welcoming demeanour.
Actively engaging in the above behaviours can make us more approachable.
To sum up, being approachable is a valuable quality that will enhance communication. It will also lead to good working relationships in the office and effective problem-solving between staff and management.
Want to know more about good leadership qualities? Learn about charisma and how to master it. Alternatively, have a look at our other Leadership series articles on being trustworthy and approachable.
Vocabulary
Comfortable
(adjective)
Meaning: Feeling relaxed or calm about a situation.
Example: 'Staff felt comfortable expressing their concern about the new working hours.'
Escalate
(verb)
Meaning: To take a problem or issue to a person who is higher in authority or rank.
Example: 'The client demanded that his complaint be escalated to management.'
Knock-on
(adjective)
Meaning: When an event causes another event, but not directly.
Example: 'The stagnating economy has caused knock-on consqequences for consumers.'
Flag
(verb)
Meaning: To warn people about something that is important.
Example: 'Kourtney flagged a few issues that we need to look at.'
Ripple effect
(noun)
Meaning: A situation where one event causes a series of other events, effecting many people.
Example: 'Megan's acts of generosity had a ripple effect across the neighbourhood.'
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