4 Qs - Our Myths of Approachability

Get your week Unstuck! 4 Qs of agile inspiration.

Author

Unstuck Agile
October 24, 2024

ation

Quintessential Thought

“Sure, they’ll come talk to me!” “I have an open-door policy!” “I don’t even have a door on my office!”

Many of us think we’re approachable, but our perception of our approachability isn’t the one that matters. If those you are leading don’t feel they can talk to you, you have a potentially dangerous blind spot. 

Some recent research from health care can help us with some critical insights:

  • Approachability is situational. Each person, topic, and interaction is unique.

  • Approachability is dynamic. It is not a fixed state - we must persistently learn and adapt. “...approachability is a dynamic state that is constantly reconstructed through action and more fragile than…originally assumed.”

  • Approachability is key for good leadership. It’s easy to fault those with the least power for not courageously speaking up. But as leaders, it’s important to take responsibility for our actions to create an environment of approachability.

One key quote from the study’s simulation exemplifies our challenge as leaders:

“[The simulation is] a good example to me of how much power I wield, and how easy it is to railroad people into doing things that they’re not comfortable with, just because of the power dynamic. ...it’s kind of humbling to think I still have that much pull over what people do...So, if I’m not making the best, most educated, appropriate choices, that it has real downstream repercussions”

References:

Quotes

“Trust leads to approachability and open communications.” – Scott Weiss

“The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help them or concluded that you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership.” – Colin Powell

“One of the things I've learned is to be receptive of feedback.” – Ben Silbermann

Quick Step

Genuinely thank one person who has courageously spoken up recently, even (or especially) if their contribution wasn’t appreciated at the time.

Question

How can you explore how approachable you are to those you lead?

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