Open Door

“Leadership is solving problems. The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help or concluded you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership.”
~ Colin Powell

Trust is essential to effective leadership. I frequently cite the Powell quote at the top of this post because that confidence in a leader relies on the two facets of trust—they trust your competence, and they trust your intentions.

Make sure your people know you want them to succeed, and that you want good outcomes for them. Have an open-door policy for at least a portion of every workday, so that your people can come to you with questions or concerns. Listen with respect, and don’t rush to assume you know what they are going to say.

And make sure you know what is going on, so that your decisions are based on experience, good judgement, and accurate understanding of situations and processes. Don’t assume the solution that worked when you were 23 years old is still the way things work, but don’t be reluctant to bring out classic solutions if they are still effective.

Don’t feel like you have to give them every answer. Often the most effective way to solve problems is to ask the person questions that lead them to develop solutions themselves.

Bring out the best in your people by showing them that they get your best from you—you know your stuff, and you care about them.

(image generated using Midjourney)