Leadership Conversations: Challenging High Potential Managers to Become Great Leaders

CHAPTER 22

When Things Change

In preparing for battle, I have found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.

—GENERAL DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER

Effective leaders use an open-door policy to obtain early notice of emerging changes and help their people escape from tight spots. They tell high potentials, “My door isn’t open so that you can dump problems on me—I have a desk full of my own. Rather, bring me a set of solutions, and I’ll help you look at trade-offs and get the resources you need. Then we’ll decide what actions to take together.”

Of course, open-door conversations are effective only when your people trust you. They need to know that when they take reasonable risks and circumstances change, you will support their actions no matter ...