Great Leaders Open Doors
If you like keeping people in the same role, want them to take the path you deem correct, or want to learn how to be a better leader, this article is for you.
Your favorite teacher
Think back to your favorite teacher. Why were they your favorite?
If they’re anything like my favorite teachers, it’s because they were passionate about what they were teaching, and perhaps more importantly, they wanted to be a teacher.
Now think about some of your least favorite teachers. What made them so disagreeable?
If they’re like the bad teachers I had, it’s because they were teaching because they had to, not because they wanted to. Even teachers who might be passionate about the topic but were really only there for a research grant or some self-studies aren’t the ones I remember.
We can see this clearly when we’re experiencing it. It can be tougher, however, to recognize when we do this ourselves. Keep this contrast of good and bad teachers in mind as you read the rest of this article on why great leaders open doors.
Great Leaders Open Doors
“No, Bruce can’t do that role.”
“No, I won’t let Bruce do that.”
“No, Bruce isn’t qualified.”
“No, Bruce can’t manage that team.”
“No, Bruce doesn’t know how to do that.”
My boss was someone who saw potential and tried to open doors. At least five times in my career, however, my skip shut the door before I could even attempt to knock. Five times my boss and others advocated for me to take on new things, and each time met with the final say of, “No,” before I could ask. Ironically, this was later held against me for “not showing initiative.” It’s funny how some people find a way to have their cake and eat it, too.
What fascinates me the most about this, however, was that this came from the same person who could never remember how long I had worked for them, understood what I did, nor supported critical changes that dozens of others championed into place.
When I think about the difference between these two people, I land on one idea:
Great leaders open doors.
If you want to be a great leader, open doors for people.
My greatest successes were almost always due to a leader who opened a door for me. He used to say, “Sales is a transference of belief.” And, by opening doors for me, he transferred his belief in my ability to do the job at hand. I like to think I at least met those expectations, although my effort was always to exceed them.
Some of my greatest moments as a leader were opening doors for people who ultimately left my department or the company I worked for. It’s my responsibility to help people become the most fulfilled version of themselves. This means coaching people up in a role they want to be in. This also means coaching people in a direction away from the work I need them to do because it isn’t the direction they want to go. It may have been my job as a manager to make sure the work got done. This does not mean it was my job to hold people back just so the work could get done.
Where Leaders Misstep
I think this is where many leaders misstep.
They think that because someone can do a job means they ought to do the job. But, if we remember our musings on our favorite and least favorite teachers, we can easily recognize how it feels to be led by someone who doesn’t want to do the job they’re in.
Further, bad leaders believe that because someone doesn’t do a job exactly how they deem fit, it means they don’t want to do the job. This, too, is false. Some of my favorite teachers were those who taught in an unorthodox way.
Let’s look at an applied example of how this can cause damage to companies.
A company needed a custom sales solution. They had different routes. They could continue their current custom path or go with a variety of add-on solutions. A friend of mine offered the best of both worlds: he found a way to transform their current path into a web-based custom solution! He had intimate knowledge of their current situation and could take them to the next level—without the overhead of other third-party solutions. He was excited to share the work he had done to prove the concept was sound. However, the interviewer couldn’t understand why “he kept showing me a webpage.” He had missed the point! The interviewer was so focused on what he thought was the solution that he missed an even better opportunity right in front of him.
Bad leaders:
Close doors before anyone knocks
Believe people should follow the path they feel is best
Care more about the work getting done than the person
Great leaders:
Open doors before anyone knocks
Believe people should follow their own path
Care more about the person than the work
If you find yourself under someone who keeps you pigeonholed, you’re under a bad leader. If you find yourself keeping someone in a role because “they’re too valuable,” you’re a bad leader. If you prevent people from advancing because you deem they’re not worthy—and many others are telling you they’d follow this person—you’re not a good leader.
What Great Leaders Do
If you want to be a great leader, you must do three things:
Listen
Believe in others
Advocate
First, you must listen, both to the person you’re leading and to those who work with them. If you believe someone isn’t a fit, but everyone around you and the person says they want to see it happen, open your mind to the possibility: the way you see the world may not be complete!
Then, believe them. Believe in the person who says they want something. Believe in the people who work with that person. If people say, “I’d follow them to the ends of the earth,” they probably aren’t blowing smoke. They’re telling you they’ve seen a person deeper than you have.
Third, advocate for them. This is where and how you open doors. Share your experience with someone.
If it’s within your power to make something easier for someone—do it.
The world is tough on everyone as it is. Be the person who makes life a little easier for those around you.
In addition to all the great and wonderful things The Healthy Company Framework does for you and your business, my one-on-one coaching and executive training can help uncover these areas. Blind spots are called “blind” for a reason—sometimes we need help seeing them and overcoming them. I’d love to help if you’re open to new ideas.
Great leaders open doors. What doors are you opening for those you lead?