Your "Open-Door Policy" Is Not Leadership.

Society has tricked you into thinking these go-to phrases are leadership.

1. “If there is anything you need from me let me know.”

2. “My door is always open, come by if you need anything.”

This is not leadership. They are more of a sticky habit that may have good intentions but come from the wrong place. Leadership is active, it is being on offense. Leadership is not a defensive waiting game. The statements above put the ball in their court while you are in a superior position. This is like puppy guarding in capture the flag, playing the waiting game for someone to feel confident enough and that their reason is valid enough to bring up to you.

Approaching it this way means you only hear about the really bad stuff or only the things the people you are leading deem important enough to tell you. We have all been there, “ahhhh should I bring this up? Is it worth their time?

Many times we talk ourselves out of it.

I used to say a lot at the end of every training session to the student-athletes “If there is anything you need from me let me know.” Then I started to ask what is stopping some from speaking up. First, awareness is needed to reflect, then to realize what you need, and then to take action to communicate that with others. There is so much going on in the day-to-day with student-athletes that many don’t make time to simply, think. Pause, think, reflect, ask yourself questions like “how am I feeling right now?” and acknowledge it then ask “what do I need right now?” (Dave Houglum episode 18). Seeking out connection moments and awareness moments is the key for leaders not just saying “if there is anything you need…” every day. By week 2 it starts to become noise. A space where I have grown and still growing as a coach.

Okay, time for some reflection on the open-door policy. This is an active practice, so take a deep breath and get your mind right. How often has your boss, supervisor, team captain, etc., said to you “I have an open door policy. My door is always open, so make sure you come by if you need anything.”?

Cool, you got your number of how many times, could be 0, or could be 10. Now, how many times have you said “HELL YEAH! My ________ has an open door policy and I am going straight down there to talk to them about this tough conversation or give them constructive feedback.”

What inspires you to stop by and say what’s up? Organic what’s up is where the magic happens. Not many people are stopping by organically because of the open-door policy. That action was because of previous relationships, being connected, and being compassionate in tough conversations.

Leadership is seeking, understanding, listening, and awareness.

Doors of opportunity open when you stop saying “my door is always open” and you go seek out connection consistently. Get into the mix to understand what they value, what are the best parts of the current role, the most challenging obstacles, what would this look like if it was easy, and where context could help look at situations differently. Seeking is intentionally going out and asking great questions to truly understand what the team or individuals are experiencing. Compassionate leadership is understanding what others are going through and doing something about it. Jeff Wiener CEO of Linkedin explains this and summarizes it well with a story from the Dalai Lama.

Seeking & understanding helps you as a leader understand the narratives of those you are leading. What are the stories they are telling themselves? Are they true? Do those stories and narratives serve us positively and the vision for what we are trying to do collectively?

Leadership starts with you being on offense. An area I continue to challenge myself to evolve and be better. Is connection the common thread?

Best Day of the Year, Until Tomorrow…

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