Being a leader doesn’t always mean you need to come up with all the answers or that you need to rule with an iron fist. In fact, being an approachable leader where others feel welcome to talk to you and want to bring ideas to the table can be extremely helpful to you and your company.
One of the keys to being approachable is actually listening and hearing people’s ideas or challenges. This isn’t always easy as sometimes you’ll hear things you don’t want to hear!
However, when you listen to what they have to say you may gain valuable insight about them, your company or new ideas that can benefit everyone. Once you have the information, weigh all the facts and make the best decision you can for the business or situation.
Some of the decisions you make may not be the most popular one. However, if you really have listened and people feel like their contribution was considered they’re more likely to contribute constructively again in the future.
While I personally do my best to be an approachable leader, I do have boundaries especially with my time. It’s important to also make sure you’re respected. You don’t want to get walked all over just because you’re open to hearing other people’s ideas.
So, you do need to set some boundaries while keeping the door open to suggestions and feedback from other people. You be the judge of what boundaries you need to set and what works best for you.
In this video, I have a little trick I use that can create solutions before you even talk to someone. It’s a gem! If there’s a problem or concern, often it’s resolved before I have the conversation with the person. Check out the video so you can use this tool with your colleagues, staff or even your kids. You’ll be amazed how well it works!
Once you’ve watched the video, I’d love to hear from you. Can you tweak anything in your leadership style to be an even more effective leader?
Please leave a comment below and help others improve their leadership skills!
Remember to keep growing and learning. We’re all in evolution of becoming the best leaders we can be. You have what it takes to be exceptional!
~Dawn xo