Be it a small company or a huge organization, if you consider yourself as a leader, being #approachable is a must have trait. If you are a boss but have a virtual shield guarding you from your team members not being able to approach you, it might give you the respect you want but can never help you in any other way. 

Being #approachable breaks the imaginary wall between leaders and employees.

Being a stern and strict leader drives people away from you while being Be a good #listener easy to talk to, helps spread positive vibes to your employees.

If a leader is more conversation-friendly, he or she is likely to have more direct information due to the great rapport they have.

Being approachable is important for small and big leaders. Here are 5 tips to be an approachable leader:

1. Listening- is the most important interpersonal skill. As a leader, there may be many things you must attend to. But take time to do greet your employees and try to listen to people who come to you with an issue. If someone has made an effort to come to you, it will most likely be a genuine concern. You can redirect them to someone else if you cannot help them directly.
2. Be honest – By trying to be approachable, you want your employees to be more honest and trustworthy. But to get the result, you must also do the same. Accept your failures, open up about any potential challenges, and ask for help if you need it. A bond of trust can be formed only through mutual actions. Treat all the employees impartially. Double check if you are acting without any conscious or #unconsciousbias yourself before you expect honesty from others.
3. Get feedback and act on it – Schedule discussions with your team members and ask them for their feedback on how your presence makes them feel. Do they feel intimidated? Are they overly conscious in your presence? #Letgo of your ego and be open to feedback. Even if they do not give a straight yes or no answer, take hints. Make a note of what traits or behavior of yours is making them feel so. Start making a conscious effort to correct them.
4. Watch your body language – You communicate not just with words but with your body too. If your non-verbal communication such as shrugging, hand movement, etc. is intimidating your employees, try to notice that and change it. Try to have a genuinely warm smile when a person approaches you for something.
5. Ask relevant questions – If a person comes to you with a request for a suggestion or for addressing their grievance, most likely he or she might not be in the right emotional state to give all the information they wish to give you. Ask the right questions with empathy whenever needed. You might have to exhibit not just IQ but EQ too. Such communication will always be remembered and you will be regarded as a helpful and approachable leader.

A true leader will be prouder of his or her honest, trustworthy, and loyal team members more than the number of awards he has achieved. Power creates distance. An approachable leader bridges that gap.