Open Doors, Strong Teams: The Art of Accessible Leadership
Quick Leadership Tips #5
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If you want to gain a reputation as a great leader and attract the best people to your team, make a point of being available.
Yes, you can keep your boundaries to stay sane, so please don’t think being available means every night and weekend.
Not at all.
It means being available to your team when they need you.
Apart from holding regular one-to-ones and team meetings, there may be times when your team members need to see you.
Ways to be available:
- Stop by to say hello at some point during the day if you are still in a physical office.
- Always check and answer your emails, phone calls, voicemails, and texts.
- Keep your office door open so people can pop their heads in. Even if you can’t see them immediately, you can make an appointment when you can.
- If you are working remotely from your team, send them a quick message to check in to see if they need anything.
- Keep your calendar up to date and share it with your team. Remember to include travel times if you are going off-site.
- Always inform the team if you are about to take leave or be uncontactable for several days. In that case, nominate a team member to act up.
I write about leadership & training, and I’ve designed The New Leader’s Starter Kit to help leaders better communicate with their teams. Get your free copy here — The New Leader’s Starter Kit takes you through how to run One-to-Ones and Constructive Feedback sessions & develop professional listening skills — a printable one-to-one form, feedback form and listening skills checklist included.
