Approachable Leadership Blog
Do They Make These for People?
Are you one of those people who has trouble smiling? Makes it tough to be approachable. That’s the same problem these dog owners have until… just watch and you’ll see
What Is Happiness? Answers from Recent Research
A key theme of Approachable Leadership is how we get happiness all wrong. Lifehacker runs down the research showing happiness is mostly about experiences, relationships, being part of something bigger than ourselves, and making progress.
The 7 Expensive Sins of Unapproachable Leaders: The Fog of Fear
We can start with the obvious — fear and approachability just don’t mix. The last thing any employee wants to do in a day is to approach their scary boss. And on the flip side — approaching a leader who is reacting out of fear will only reinforce for both sides the desire to avoid similar interactions in the future.
The Charisma Myth: Practical Advice on Becoming More Likable
Lifehacker reviews The Charisma Myth which teaches that likability (aka approachability) is a skill you can learn.
Top 10 Ways to Improve Your Communication Skills
Today’s installment of Lifehacker’s 10th Anniversary Best Of looks back at some of best things you can do—big and small—to communicate with others. Great tips here.
The Unapproachable Mr. Holmes
Sherlock Holmes’ detective skills are second to none. His people skills? Not so much. He’s the epitome of a high performing but unapproachable leader.
Get Your Coworkers to Help You More with This Simple Persuasion Method
Great organizational citizenship lesson in this Lifehacker article on how to get others to help. (hint... it starts with being helpful).
Approachable Leadership Infographic
No study has looked at approachability in a comprehensive way. Nobody has looked at these behaviors from beginning (can I tell the approachable leaders from the unapproachable ones?) to the end (do approachable leaders predictably deliver better work outcomes than the unapproachable ones?) Until now.
The Mantra of Approachable Leaders
I ran across this quote from Tom Robbins: “There are only two mantras, yum and yuck, mine is yum.” Approachable leaders also choose the mantra of “yum”. They see a world of possibility and abundance, not a zero-sum world of limitation and scarcity. When they look at those they lead they think “yum” not “yuck.”
Why You Shouldn’t Start With Why
Starting with the “why” of the organization gets everything backward. The “why” of your organization is definitely something nice to know. But even the loftiest mission statement isn’t what really gets people out of bed in the morning. Each of us is motivated by our own individual “why” and it isn’t something the leader explains to us. It’s something the leader discovers.
One Simple Way to Improve Any Relationship
Great tips on how to improve your relationships by adjusting your expectations - for you and for others. One Simple Way to Improve Any Relationship #ApproachableLeadership
Google CHRO’s Top Ten People Strategies
Great article on how Google's CHRO implements their people strategies. Lots of #ApproachableLeadership tips like #2 (trust your team) and #4 (separate development discussions from performance discussions). Great stuff.
Fast Company Article on #ApproachableLeadership
This is a great article with terrific #ApproachableLeadership tips from Fast Company.
Phil on Approachability Concepts in MainSt.com Article
In MainSt.com's May 4th article titled, "7 Things You Don't Realize You're Doing That Demotivate Your Team," Phil addressed the tendency for managers to "over manage" their employees, attempting to find external ways to motivate them. "That's just not the way it...
Wilson Quoted on Subject of “Horrible Bosses”
In a recent MainStreet.com article, “21 Things Horrible Bosses Do That Ruin Companies and Make People Quit,” LRI’s Phil Wilson provided several examples:
1. He isn’t specific with feedback.
If your boss consistently throws out terms such as “Awesome work!” or “Way to go, chief,” he’s basically telling you he doesn’t know and doesn’t care.
“He’s just checking the box, ‘I said ‘go team’ and now I can relax,'” Wilson says.
2. He shoots the messenger.
Leaders who shoot the messenger are the ones who find themselves saying, “Why doesn’t anyone tell me anything? Why am I out of the loop?” Wilson says. “They don’t realize that people are purposefully trying to avoid them and that they’re completely detached from their staff.”
Phil Wilson Quoted in MainStreet.com
LRI’s Phil Wilson was sought by MainStreet.com for his insight into workplace engagement. In an article entitled “Why Working In a Cubicle Is So Demoralizing and Workers Are Demanding More,” Phil explained how to front-line supervisors can stop the “negative domino effect” of disengagement that can spiral out of control.
