Leaders often say, ‘My door is always open’, but is that always true and do we understand the consequences of that?
The truth is, our door isn’t always open, all the time. Sometimes, it has to be closed.
When we say ‘My door is always open’, what we mean is, we are approachable and we are here to help.
But what if, in doing that, we inadvertently create an expectation that we’re here to solve everyone else’s problems?
We end up with a long queue outside our door.
Being approachable, and here to help, is an important role of a leader, but that doesn’t mean that we have the answer to everything. It doesn’t mean to say that we can solve everybody’s problem.
In fact, every time we solve somebody else’s problem, we stifle a bit of learning and a bit of development.
So, the next time somebody comes to you with an issue that you think that they can resolve, invite them to tell you what they see, what they think and what they interpret as a result, and what they would like to do.
Being a leader who’s door is always open is important, but that queue can get shorter if people start telling you what they intent to do, rather than asking you to tell them what to do.
My name is Peter Russian from re:Markable, (the UK and Ireland partner for Intent-Based Leadership®).
Let me know how you get on!
