The End of the Open Door Policy

By Jill Pancoast, President, The Breakthrough Coach

“If you want a successful career and satisfying life, close your door on your Office Days and get your work done. In order to increase the value of your time, you must make your time scarce.”

One of the most detrimental habits I confront when coaching executives is the dreaded “Open Door Policy”. When an executive is available to all people, for all things, and at all times, the net result is always ridiculously lengthy work weeks for the exec, and less-than-stellar performance reviews for their staff and students.

When questioned about this practice, most executives believe this “Open Door Policy” literally means always having an open office door. Predictably, this habit invites constant Office Day interruptions of the following nature: “Got a minute?” “Excuse me.” “Can I talk to you for a sec?” “Whatcha do’in?” “Is this a good time?”

Many executives even have predatory staff members who “stalk” them, hanging around their office door like wolves around their prey, waiting for an opportunity to pounce. The net result of this “policy” is that it derails the executive’s calendar, upsets the balance of power between staff and secretaries, and leaves the executive to fend for themself, spending countless nights and weekends completing office work.

Let me restate: The “Open Door Policy” is not a mandated, literal leadership style. It’s guidelines for an open, empathetic and engaging communication and work style. The original intention of the policy was to encourage staff at any level of an organization to communicate with anyone else inside the organization, so long as they went through the appropriate channels to do so. The “Open Door Policy” does not mean constantly having an open door. An open door is simply an invitation to be interrupted.

Executives take note: If you want a successful career and satisfying life, close your door on your Office Days and get your work done. To increase the value of your time, you must make your time scarce. Hanging out for pleasantries and chit-chat is completely appropriate on Coaching Days and I would encourage an abundance of it when you are out in classrooms and learning environments. However, if someone wants to speak with you on an Office Day, you must shift into “business mode.”

If you really want to improve your staff’s training and development, I would challenge them with the following questions, to be answered by them, before they ever meet with you:

1. Who is requesting this meeting?
2. Date meeting is requested.
3. Time meeting requested.
4. How long will this meeting take?
5. What is the purpose, intended outcomes and agenda of this meeting? Please attach.
6. Why is this meeting a priority?
7. Who is accountable for running this meeting?
8. Who will ensure the meeting starts and ends on time?
9. What paperwork is needed for this meeting?
10. Who is responsible for bringing, organizing and explaining the paperwork?
11. Is there any additional information needed before this meeting?
12. Do you have any requests for me regarding this meeting?
13. Who will inform me if the meeting time changes or if this meeting gets canceled?

These questions, asked and answered before any conversation with the executive takes place, result in the following positive benefits:

• It forces both the executive and staff to come to meetings focused and prepared.
• It trains staff members to “bottom line it” so that they get what they want from the executive quickly, while valuing everyone’s time.
• The executive can bring their thoughtful, undivided attention to every meeting.
• Casual, non-urgent conversations happen when they are supposed to – on Coaching Days – significantly decreasing an executive’s Office Day interruptions.

The executive’s time is a precious resource, not to be wasted or haphazardly consumed. Executives: it’s your job to train and develop your entire organization to interact with you in a professional, courteous and efficient manner. Your time is valuable, and it’s your responsibility to treat yourself as such!

Learn more about how to structure your Office or Coaching Days, and how to set better boundaries with your staff and your to-do lists with The Breakthrough Coach.