Alisa Cohn - How to Be a More Accessible Leader

You need to be an accessible leader, and here is why. The truth is, it's a whole bunch of stuff going on inside of your company and nobody is telling you. So if people are feeling too distant from you, you're not gonna really figure out what's really going on. So here are ways to think about you actually becoming a more accessible leader. Set up meetings with people lower than you in the organization, several levels down, and ask them some simple questions. Ask them, what's going better now than it was 6 months ago? Ask them, What are we not making enough progress on? And ask them, what are you concerned that nobody is telling me about? When you do that over time in one-on-ones, in small groups, people will actually begin to see you as somebody who really wants to know what's going on, and they will begin to tell you what's really going on. Here's a tip. When they tell you that, thank them. Do not react. Do not shoot the messenger. Nobody likes that, and it will just teach people not to tell you what's really going on. That's how you can position yourself as an accessible leader and gain followership and really figure out what's going on in your company, which is essential. Essential for your business success.