I received an email from an outstanding performer. One line that immediately flooded me with anxiety. Do you have 5 minutes to meet? Maybe you can relate, these inquiries are never five minutes and rarely positive. Is he quitting, taking a better offer, asking for more money, did he screw up? So many possibilities. But, the question that haunted me most, why the email, why not just come into my office?
Open Door Policies Don’t Work
As a leader, I have always maintained an open-door policy, accessible when needed. I kept the physical door to my office open, smiled often, and even referred to my availability in nearly every staff meeting. But very few took advantage of it. If leadership experts ardently encourage the importance of accessibility, why don’t open-door policies work?
Comfortability
The idea of an open-door policy is great for employee orientations and handbooks but to make them work in practice, you must create a culture of comfortability. Think about it from the employee’s point of view. As they approach your “open-door” They worry about:
- Is my question or dilemma too small for the leader to be bothered with? Timid
- Is the mistake (or problem) so big that I will be escorted out (fired)? Fear
- Will the leader ask a bunch of questions I can’t answer? Embarrassment
- Will solving the problem create more work, longer hours, or push me outside my comfort? Ability
- Will the leader think that it is my fault? Blame
The conundrum of accessibility
The more successful you are, the less accessible you become. The more leadership influence you attain, the more trepidation from your followers. As responsibilities increase, more people get involved, and you get pulled in more directions. The dilemma, who gets how much of your time?
Passive versus active accessibility
I worked for a great leader who understood active accessibility. Every afternoon he would leave his office and walk the building. He would randomly pop his head into offices and over cubicle walls to invite the occupant to join him for a short break to Starbucks. He did this nearly daily, learning about the lives of his team and their struggles, offering teaching experiences. Employees often shared concerns they were hesitant to share in his “open-door” office. When leading, actively seek opportunities to be involved with your team.
Unequal accessibility
Unfortunately, as your team grows, your capacity to give equal accessibility becomes unrealistic. That is why it is important to create a healthy culture that doesn’t hinder your ability to accomplish your other responsibilities.
Maximize active accessibility without destroying your life by:
- Setting boundaries – My accessible boss walked the building in the afternoon when his energy dropped and he needed a break. He chose the opportunity to interact when it fit his agenda.
- Determine who needs and who merely wants your time – As your team grows spend most of your time with members who need Allow other leaders to handle requests from those who want your time. Your aim is to drive the organization forward not respond to every request.
- Delegate – Let others step up to the role of leader and handle appropriate responsibilities on your behalf. Give them the opportunity and watch them rise to leadership.
- Identify common requests – As your leadership experience increases you will recognize that certain inquiries come up multiple times. This is especially true as the layers of leadership increase. Systematize your response for simplicity and ease of communication.
- Be consistent – The fear of comfortability is the chief cause of open-door policy failures. Consistency creates comfortability. When team members learn to anticipate your response, their concern about approaching you diminishes. You want your team to bring mistakes to you before they become problems. Reduce their fear of coming forward by always responding consistently.
- Accept you can’t do it all (though we want to) – Understand, as your leadership increases, there are roles you will no longer be able to play. This doesn’t make you a bad leader, but heightens the importance of your active accessibility. Make each interaction productive knowing you will not be able to participate as often as you would like (or did before).
- The appearance of accessibility – Perception is often reality. Creating the impression of accessibility may be enough for a healthy work environment. Talented team members will not abuse availability. If they do, use the preceding six suggestions, or accept that the individual may not be a good fit for your team.
The “5 minutes to meet” email
My outstanding performer didn’t want more money, to resign, nor did he make a mistake. He wanted a few suggestions on responding to his team member’s concern. I spent more time concerned about the open-door policy than I did on his response. Create a culture of active accessibility and save your sanity.