Open door policy - don't let it shut on your behind

I don't know about you guys, but when you are managing people one of the hardest things I've found is walking the very thin line between being open and approachable and being their "boss".  Oh, don't get me wrong, I will mostly walk on the side of being open because I don't see the point in hiding what you do and how you do it (just means that you can't have holidays and, more importantly, can't move up).

However, processes can often be born out of HR challenges.  I've seen it time and time again where issues come creeping in with staff because no process was present.  There was no real measuring stick on how the person was travelling.  Performance reviews are run on a "gut feeling" which is no good for you and certainly not good for the staff member either.

How open should you be?  Well, being open actually brings about both results.  It allows you to have your own procedures that can be handed on should you need time away and it forms part of the overall process which supports performance reviews and produces very measurable results from day-to-day work.  

As I said yesterday, I used to display processes.  I displayed a particular process we had written on the wall for months.  It was a "hub" process and used pretty much every day by staff.  It wasn't that anyone looked at it much.  I doubt they even looked at it beyond the first "Ta da!  Here it is" moment.  But it was there, including my own management notes - everything was open and transparent.  It was like a contract between all of us as to what we did to keep the process moving.  And it was all done with paper, sticky tape, string and blu-tac.  It was easy to change as it was a "living, breathing" process.

The key for me seems to be that 'open' and 'nice' get confused in the work place.  You don't have to be 'nice' (or nasty, for that matter).  You can be matter of fact about things and still be open.  In a way, it is easier to be matter of fact when you are open.  Don't be afraid to put on display what you do as a manager or owner of the business.  Be open about your personal processes and procedures and you will be less likely to be hit on the behind by a the 'closing door' from issues with staff.