This out-dated approach to leading needs to be trashed forever. We no longer need to have leaders adhering to the Open Door Policy. I still meet far too many leaders who believe they must adopt this open door policy in order to be constructive. It has become their version of being “warm and fuzzy” and engaging in soft skills.
It appears many leaders continue to be indoctrinated with the power of this approach and yet if we really sit and think about it we will see that it has long outgrown its usefulness as an approach to leading constructively.
I actively challenge the usefulness of this approach with the participants of our leadership development programs. I open their eyes to the reality of what they are creating by using this approach – I help them to see that they are actually encouraging people to be “problem oriented” (rather than solution oriented).
Participants begin to see that by using this approach they actively encourage people to interrupt them so they can quickly and easily receive the solution. Such a leader is developing dependent employees – who find it easier to seek out solutions and ideas from their boss. Such leaders are making it easy for their employees to drop in and seek their leader’s opinion. Such an approach however is not developing the potential and capability of people – in fact it is stunting their growth and their confidence.
It is time for leaders to make it OK to set aside time during the day where they are not available to anyone in their team for a drop in to seek out solutions to their issues; instead they need the confidence and conviction to set aside time and space to work on important things for them and engage in important conversations they need to have.
