I've been doing some door knocking for our upcoming federal election, which has given me a chance to practice my ability to suss out which dogs are approachable and which ones are, well, not so much. Of course some dogs are all bark and no bite, while others that seem cuddly and approachable are, well, again, not so much.
So here's my thought for this week: Given that many employees complain that they can never get access to their leader, and many customers complain that they can't get access to a live human being in some companies, how accessible are you and how approachable are you?
First up: Are you accessible? Do you have set "in the hood" office hours when people know they can find you? Do you advertise them? Are you easily reachable by phone? Do you really have an open door policy? Do you read your e-mail messages and respond in a reasonably timely manner (even if it's with just a quick, "Got it! Thanks!")?
But being accessible isn't enough. If you really want to improve communication with your teams and customers then you also need to consider how
approachable you are. How approachable you are effects the level of trust and how candid and open people are with you. It allows employees or customers to share uncomfortable truths that you absolutely need to hear if you're going to keep improving. So what is your personality, body language, and communication style
conveying to people who approach you? And we know from studies that people with a good sense of humor, for example, are considered far more approachable, trustworthy, and easier to talk to.
If you want to be more successful make sure everyone is welcome on your porch. Oh...and try to keep the barking and biting to a minimum.
