Don’t Answer That!
Where do you stand on the “open-door policy?”
Many leaders embrace an open-door policy as a way to demonstrate their accessibility and allow for informal conversation. These casual chats build rapport and provide opportunities for mentorship and guidance.
Such interactions make work more productive and enjoyable, don’t they?
They also open the door to another thing: endless questions. Weighed down by answer-seeking interruptions, leaders want so badly to close the door. They want time to settle into a strategic task, grapple with complex problems, and take stock of the world they’ve helped to create.
But what happens if I close the door? Am I not being a good/ accessible/ friendly/ helpful leader if I don’t leave my door open?
The answer depends on what you do when the door is open.
Do you develop your people, or just give them answers?
Do you devote time to understanding all of your people, not just the ones who come by your office or stop you in the hall?
Do you set them on a trajectory that builds their confidence in themselves, or cements their dependence on you?
When can I close the door?
If you’re reading this and you have direct reports, you’re being asked a question almost every time someone interacts with you. You want to make the most of your “open-door” time so that you can confidently close the door at other times.
Here are a few criteria to help you discern which questions to answer, and identify when a different approach (teaching, mentoring, or coaching) would be better.
Scenarios where you probably shouldn’t give the answer:
The situation is not urgent.
The person could find a suitable answer without your input.
They’re facing a repeated issue or skill deficit (in which case you might teach, mentor, or coach them).
You should answer it when:
Not giving an immediate answer would cause irreparable harm.
It’s a one-off situation—they won’t confront anything like it again, so teaching, mentoring, or coaching would be a wasted effort.
Your input is required, such as when you are the only authority or expert on the subject.
Is Urgency Plaguing You?
One of the problems my clients consistently struggle with is the urgency issue. It often feels like everything is urgent--there’s little time for teaching and no time for coaching. Heck, there’s barely enough time to thoughtfully answer the question! When that’s the case, you might give an answer and then circle back for a learning conversation. In the follow-up, discuss how you developed the solution and do a debrief of the results.
But if urgency is ALWAYS an issue, I beg you to look beyond it. Look at the systems and processes that perpetuate the state of urgency.
It’s one thing to challenge your people to reach deeper and to realize more of their potential. It’s another to burn out your employees in the name of excellence or dedication to the mission.
Let’s model Areté the right way!