So what exactly is the paradox of the open door policy? Do you like your company? Have you ever stuck your neck out, raising issues to the “high & mighty” Executive leadership? And if you did, did you find the experience fulfilling? Daunting? Or did you find it on par with discussing politics with your dog? I call it a paradox and here is why.
I find it amusing that in many companies, Executive leadership continuously strive to endorse these so called “Open door policies”. You know the ones. Where they say, “I want to make a difference so write to me personally if you think we can do better”. It’s a great concept, but paradoxical in reality.
See, in order to gain these esteemed upper echelons of leadership, you need to demonstrate a number of qualities. A modicum of common sense. A sense of superiority that “my way is the right way”. A bit of arrogance that I deserve the position I hold. A glib tongue that flexes mightily in smoothing ruffled feathers and being able to “schmooze” with the big lads. And finally, a degree of deceit, being able to lie glibly when required.
The deceit and what really happens
Yet, its these same so called “virtues”, that negate the concept of “Open Door”.
See, what really happens is that if some brave soul is really willing to jump the chain of leadership, they enter the “twilight zone” of Exec thinking. Enter the paradox. So let’s say you make some recommendations contrary to the way the company is going, directly to your CEO. And lets presume for the moment you are 100% right in your thinking.
No matter what you say, Executive virtues will take hold. If your wrong, the arrogance comes out and you will be chastised for wasting their time. Likewise, if you are right, the Exec’s will discard it. Otherwise they face the alternative reality that, by accepting this, they have to admit they were failing in some area. It will be seen as humiliating to their sense of superiority and deflate their ego’s in that their way “was not the right way”. My perception of course as Wikipedia has a slightly different view of the “disadvantages”, but not that far off: The Wikipedia definition with disadvantages
Bravery or career suicide?
The best you can hope for is a “pat on the back” and perhaps the Exec will then go off quietly and “do what’s right”, but schmooze the “new strategy” as their own new bold thinking. Worst case, they will tell you how brave you are to have come forward, then quietly have a “rant” at your line management of why they cannot control their people. A good way to commit “career suicide”.
The funniest aspect of all this is that many Exec’s honestly think they really do have a good Open Door policy. I guess this demonstrates why I stated “a modicum of common sense”. If they had a high degree of common sense, then they would realise that by fixing this, they have to learn new qualities. Like humbleness and honesty. And in particular, an ability to admit, they were wrong. A paradox or wot!
But if you want to read more, here is something you may be interested in, based on similar line of thinking: –https://corpcandour.com/soaring-costs-of-passion-incompetent-leadership-in-business-now/
