In pursuit of Approachability

Approachability is a characteristic that is desired of any leader or of anyone aspiring to be a leader. If one is not approachable, it impedes the line of communication. The willingness for employees to share ideas or better yet initiate a conversation is lost.

The sad reality in the corporate environment, is that employees who have identified problems and have two or more options for genuine workable solutions, are reluctant to communicate with their managers, as they perceive managers to be unapproachable and narrow-minded.

Many corporates have adopted an ‘open door’ policy, but sadly it remains a ‘policy’. Leaders are continued to be perceived as unapproachable, constantly attending meetings, engrossed in emails, carrying out daily tasks in a frenzied manner, often in a sour mood after attending to some issue which needed ‘firefighting’. In this scenario an employee who tries to bring up any problem is often viewed as a nuisance and the usual reaction is to ‘shoot the messenger’. The employee is thereby ‘trained’ to be silent about anything they may have to contribute.

Very often much time of the Manager is devoted to activities that are perceived as important which generally have little or no contribution to the success of the organization as a whole.

Suppose, a high level manager sits on the work-floor instead of the cubicle, would this make the manager more ‘approachable’?

The idea should not seem too farfetched as it has been done. Yes, this individual preferred to sit where the action happened, being more receptive to the vibe of the workflow, outside of the glass cubicle. Further this leader took time out of the day, to walk the work floor. The persona created was one of approachability, and even if every dialog exchanged was not always a productive one, a clear image of approachability was established.

Some may question in disbelief, how this leader found the time, or if this leader was a stickler for micro management. Depending on perspective, this may be interpreted as being imposing. However in reality this leader scheduled time just to mingle with the staff and amicably discuss any pressing matters or just exchange pleasantries.

Now there were a good many who drew inspiration from this example and polished their leadership styles. While many learned from this, there were those who chose to carry on as before. Sadly, the ones who lost out were the staff.

Often, staff with a need or genuine idea hits a wall if their manager is unapproachable. Some will brood about this and foster a feeling of resentment and general dissatisfaction and de-motivation, but the more outspoken will find a leader who will listen, surpassing the line manager and often this becomes a trend. Often a manager’s credibility is diluted by staff who approach leaders who are a level or two higher to be more approachable than their own manager. This makes the manager appear incompetent and is certainly detrimental to the team ethos. Staff tends to omit issues while communicating, until they are unearthed owing to an error, by which time the damage could be irreversible.

It is in a leader’s best interest to master the art of approachability. Being approachable means possessing and exhibiting a combination of a few factors.

The best is to schedule some time of the work day to actually talk to employees, if this seems too elaborate, then do take the effort to actually keep the door open during a time of day in which you would not mind being interrupted. This is being physically available.

When conversing you would obviously ask open-ended questions, and honestly make an effort in being interested in the employee’s professional success and development, offer advice or at least offer to find out more details that may help, or suggest a mentor who can help. This is energetic availability.

Be open-minded to suggestions, ask for reasons why they would work, and also if they were to fail what would be the factors, and really strive to see things from a different vantage point – this demands Openness. Provide feedback daily and gently, consciously checking your nonverbal communication making sure you’re not portraying a closed cue. Creating a comfortable relationship with staff, invariably motivates and engages them, and achieving desired results becomes effortless.

Be the ‘Go To’ Leader, be in the ‘know’ while you are on the go.

Even if you are the nicest person in the company, but the only people who know this are those who’ve worked closely with you, then you’ll still be considered unapproachable by the rest of the company – Tony Lenart.