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How Approachable Are You?

Being approachable is key to building relationships with your colleagues, and to creating astrong team in which trust, confidence and ideas can flow. When you're approachable, teammembers do not sit on, or cover up, problems. This means that they are able to bring issuesto you before they become full-blown crises, because they know you won't react badly.

Team members who have approachable managers feel able to contribute ideas, and findthe workplace a safe environment in which to do so. They're not scared about beingknocked back, because they know their manager is open to their suggestions and willconsider them fairly.

Certain organi ations have reputations, correct or otherwise, for keeping their leaders in!ivory towers,! far away from their team members. "n these high !power-distance!situations, you might have to call your boss !madam! rather than by her first name, and gothrough a #$ if you want to talk to her. %he might have her own reserved car-parking spot,chair meetings from the end of the table, send overly formal emails, and so on. "t can bescary to approach this kind of person&

ften, leaders who act this way do so as a way of maintaining their authority. (owever, theywill be missing out on opportunities to identify issues or discover ideas for improvement bynot being !on the front line.! )ou'll be much more approachable if you reduce powerdistance.

(ow approachable you appear to others is very much down to you. %ure, some of thepeople who work for you may have a fear of authority, but you need to break down those

barriers and create an environment of trust.

$pproachability is about being accessible, consciously breaking down perceived barriers,having appropriate body language, and using the right verbal communication and listeningskills. Take our *ui to find out +ust how approachable you are, and discover strategies forbecoming more approachable in areas that are holding you back.

Instructions

or each statement, click the button in the column that best describes you. #lease answerthem as you actually are rather than how you think you should be , and don't worry if someseem to score in the !wrong direction.! When you are finished, click the !Calculate /y Total!button at the bottom.

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16 Statements toAnswer

Never Rarely

Sometimes

Often Always

1The negativefeedback " giveoutweighs mypositivefeedback.

" step awayfrom my deskand walkaround to

speak to mycolleagues.

! " smile atpeople,whatever theirlevel in theorgani ation.

" When my

colleaguepitches anidea, " do notprovidefeedback.

#" make timeavailable tospeak withteam

members.

6" let mycolleaguesknow where "will be if " amaway from mydesk.

$" let negativeemotions showwhen " receivebad news.

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16 Statements toAnswer

Never Rarely

Sometimes

Often Always

%"f " am talkingto a teammember andthe phonerings, " halt theconversation totake the call.

& " empathi ewith my

colleagues'positions.

1' " do notmake eyecontact whentalking topeople.

11 " talk to

each teammember thesame, whetherthey are thickskinned orsensitive.

1 " talk withmy armsfolded.

1! " do notcomplain.

1" " give teammembers mycellphonenumber.

1# " talk aboutmy life outsidework with mycolleagues.

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16 Statements toAnswer

Never Rarely

Sometimes

Often Always

16 " provide aplatform forideas.

Calculate /y Total

(otal ) '

Score Interpretation

Scor e *omment

01-21

)ou need to work on your approachability. )our attitude and demeanor arecutting off the flow of information you receive from your team members. Thismight mean that problems are swept under the carpet, or great ideas aren3tbeing allowed to flourish. )ou may have to make some fundamental changesto how you manage, but don3t worry4 there are plenty of simple ways to get

started and boost your approachability. 5ead below to start.

26-78

)ou are in a great position to improve. )ou can be approachable, soproblems may come to you before they get serious. (owever, your teammembers may also put off telling you when something3s up, because they3reworried about your reaction. Take a closer look at your results and focus moston where your score is low. )ou may find that a simple change to the way youmanage will make a huge difference. 5ead below to start.

79-8:

Well done& )ou are approachable, which means your team members feel

relatively little fear in coming to you when they have a problem or an idea.This is because your reaction to bad news is measured and calm, and youtreat ideas with relish and positivity. $s a result, crises develop far less oftenthan they would do under a more unapproachable manager, and yourorgani ation benefits from the ideas culture that your welcoming attitude hasfostered. (owever, there is always room for improvement& 5ead below tostart.

ur *ui is based on four attributes that make up approachability4 looking available, usingthe right body language, and having good verbal communication and listening skills. Welook at each attribute in more detail below. By improving in these areas, you'll become moreapproachable and find that your team is more productive and creative as a result.

+oo, Available

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;uestions <, 1, 0=

"t seems obvious, but looking available is one of the most effective steps we can taketoward breaking down physical barriers, reducing power distance, and keeping lines ofcommunication open. >ot much says !leave me alone! more than keeping your office doorclosed, not talking to team members because they're less senior than you, or e?pectingpeople to address you differently from everyone else&

"f you don't have an office, improve your visibility by getting up from your desk and walkingaround. )our desk is your turf, and this can make it hard for team members to approach.%o, go and speak with people at their desks, where they feel comfortable, or talk to themsomewhere neutral, like at the water cooler. @se this informal time to reco-ni.e -oo/wor, , and to gain feedback. )ou'll be ama ed how much people like to share theirthoughts when they're asked&(ewlett #ackardA founders William (ewlett and avid #ackard famously used thisapproach in their company. %ince then, the term 0 2A /anagement by Walking

$round has become popular. But it takes more than simply strolling through your office oraround your site. )ou must make a determined and genuine effort to talk to and understandyour team members, to find out what they do, check they have what they need, make surethey're happy, and to take action where necessary to correct things that are going wrong.

$nd don't +ust talk about workD indulge in a little personal /isclosure . %haring informationabout yourself is important when you're in a leadership role because it shows others youare empathetic, compassionate and authentic. %peak about your family, what you did at theweekend, and your hobbies. uil/ rapport with others by finding out about their livesoutside work, too. "f you share information and take time to chat, you'll probably find thatyou end up liking the people you work with that's great, and mutual liking and mutualrespect can be hugely powerful&"f you're in and out of meetings a lot, let your team know where you'll be and when you'll beback. Tell everyone how to contact you if there are any problems, and make sure you'reavailable. %hould you not be able to respond immediately, reassure people that you'll do soat the first opportunity you get.

+istenin- S,ills

;uestions 7, 6, 8, 9, 01

#ut simply, if your team members think you are not listening to them, they won't want to

approach you.

Eood listening is not about hearing what someone is saying and waiting for him or her tofinish so you can have your !two cents.! )ou have to engage your eyes, as well as yourears, give the other person your full attention, and draw on your emotional intelligence.Being switched on in this way builds trust and respect, both of which are important forincreasing approachability.

Fngage in Active +istenin- . This is the process by which you pay attention to the wordssomeone is saying, and understand the complete message that he is sending. Gistening inthis way is important, because it shows you are paying attention, so your colleagues feelengaged and valued.

$nother approach is 3mpathic +istenin- . This can help you win your team members'trust and get to the root of any issues they may have. o this by identifying key points andrepeating them back to the speaker to get her to open up. What's important is to pay

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attention to what's not being said, as well as what is the absence of words can often betelling.

4erbal *ommunication

;uestions 0, =, 6, 00, 02, 07

There is a huge crossover between appearing approachable and being positive, and this isespecially important when we consider what comes out of our mouths. What we say is acrucial part of approachability, because good verbal communication helps us build trust and a strong team spirit .

ew people will want to engage with you if everything you say is negative. $lthough it willalways depend on the circumstances, team members will have more confidence inapproaching you with ideas or problems if they are not fearful of the outcome. With this inmind, make sure you acknowledge ideas from your team and give credit where it's due.

)ou don't have to go over the top. Try to give much more positive feedback than negativebecause people take negative feedback much more to heart than positive feedback a

simple !thanks for the suggestion! encourages people to contribute again.

"f an idea is great, make sure you give your team member the recognition hedeserves. Research shows that receiving praise raises our dopamine levels theneurotransmitter associated with feelings of +oy and satisfaction which helps us establishgood working habits. But if an idea is not so good, you need to e?plain why. ailure to do somay leave your team member feeling like his input is not wanted, and this can stifle futurecreativity.5esponding positively to good ideas is the easy part. "t's how you react to bad news that's

the real test. %elf-regulation, which is an important part of emotional intelli-ence , isn'talways easy but problems can fester if team members are too scared to come to you withtheir issues. $ppreciate that it takes courage to speak up when something is wrong, soalways thank the person for letting you know.

o/y +an-ua-e

;uestions 2, 8, 0:, 0<

Check out Brandon in our vi/eo on body language and ask yourself if you would want topitch to him if he was your manager. (e doesn't reali e it, but his bad body language iscreating a negative working environment, which could be stifling innovation within his team.)our team members could be sitting on ideas that could transform your organi ation butprevious e?periences, when you've seemed disinterested, may have put them off telling youabout them. $nd you could be none the wiser&

We know that positive managers tend to have happy teams , and they are naturally farmore approachable than those with a negative outlook. #ositivity shines through allcommunication, including our posture, eye contact, hand gestures, speech, and tone ofvoice. $nd how we hold ourselves determines the way people act toward us.@sing the right body language is a vital yet simple way of increasing your approachability.%mile more, unfold your arms, look your team members in the eye when you talk to them,and speak slowly in a moderate to low tone. Take your time when you're walking to andfrom your desk even if you're in a hurry and remember to look around rather thanstraight ahead or down at the floor.

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5ey oints

Being approachable is the foundation of building good relationships with your colleagues,and of creating a strong team in which confidence can grow and ideas flow. )ou canimprove how approachable you are to help break down barriers, and to create an

environment of trust.

evelop your skills by increasing your visibility, using appropriate body language, andworking on your communication and listening skills.