The importance of approachability as a leader

Why bother with approachability?

One of the most important traits that a leader in the workplace can have is approachability. In a leadership role, it’s not enough to just be good at the technical skills of what you do. A leader is ultimately responsible for guiding and supporting their team by providing them with what they need to succeed. You can’t maximize your ability to do that unless your team members feel comfortable coming to you for guidance, questions, thoughts, and needs. For that, you need to be approachable.

To be fair, “approachability” can be a vague and fluffy term. You don’t get results out of someone by telling them to “just be more approachable.” That doesn’t really mean anything, because what might come off as approachable to one person might be the opposite to another. Let’s clarify what we mean when we talk about approachability as a leader.

An authentic leader is an approachable leader

Approachability is all about trust and authenticity. It’s not about being deceptively nice all the time, or withholding important critique, or walking on eggshells to make sure that everyone is happy all the time. These things are going to happen. In a collaborative environment where there are stakes involved and performance matters, it’s not always going to be perfect all the time, and that is completely okay. Your team knows that too.

People feel comfortable approaching people that they feel familiar with and that they trust. By being yourself authentically and connecting with your team members on that basis, your people will feel like they can approach you for just about anything. It will certainly take time, effort, dedication, and consistency, but that will all pay off. When you become approachable to your team, more often than not, you don’t have to go searching for or spend valuable time speculating about what they might want and need from you. Your team members will simply tell you what it is that they want and need from you, and from there, your job becomes an exercise in active listening.

3 tips to build authenticity to become an approachable leader

Practice empathy

One of the most important things that you can do to be authentic and demonstrate trustworthiness to your team is to practice empathy. Empathy is one of the most powerful tools to influencing positive change at the individual, team, and organizational level, and it’s a tool that all of us are capable of using. Just one empathetic conversation has the power to defuse a conflict, build trust, and yield a positive change for an entire organization. If you notice one of your team members having a rough time, or they come to you with a problem, be sure to listen to them, and let them see you act on it to the best of your ability.

Communicate transparently

Transparency is one of the most critical elements of authenticity. Someone who is constantly withholding information or being deceptive in one way or another is not being authentic. Your team needs to be able to rely on you more than anyone else for transparent communication and honest feedback. Statistics show that transparent communication yields 12x higher employee satisfaction rates and higher engagement across the board.

Demonstrate vulnerability

In order to show people your authentic self, you need to be willing to get a bit vulnerable. Now, your team doesn’t need to know your deepest secrets or all about your beliefs, but they do need to know enough about you to understand who you are, how you act, and why you act the way you do. A very simple way to get started is just to share your story with others. Have one-on-ones with your teammates, tell each other a bit about yourselves and your history and what brought you to the roles you’re currently in. Use a platform like Dignify to understand each other’s motivations, natures, and more. When you get vulnerable enough for people to understand you, they will have a better idea of who you are, which makes approaching you ever easier.

The bottom line Being approachable as a leader is like having a superpower. Your job becomes easier. Your people are more satisfied with your leadership and more engaged in their roles. Perhaps, even your whole organization functions better because of something you did for your team. Keep in mind that approachability can separate a great leader from a group of good leaders. By practicing authenticity and building trust, you can tap into the approachability and create positive outcomes for yourself, your team, and your company.