"Please leave the door open on your way out. Thank you."

 "Please leave the door open on your way out. Thank you." She'd keep telling people who'd get up to leave after meeting her in the cabin.

While many offices have moved to the open office concept, certain positions do need a cabin/closed space owing to the sheer no. of meetings that they get involved in and the sensitive matters that often get discussed with them.

I happened to have a seat right outside this leader's cabin and was always fascinated how she ensured her cabin door was left open most of the time when she was not in a meeting or a call. She'd get up from her seat multiple times in a day (sometimes even after an intense meeting/call) to ensure the door stayed open. She literally practiced an open door policy.

As a result, I noticed all of us felt much more comfortable just walking into her cabin to talk to her - at times even a quick peek would do the job. I wonder if we'd have been as comfortable approaching her if we'd have to knock on that door everytime we wanted to speak to her about something.

The benefit of the open door though was not limited to work related matters. Due to the open door she'd be able to participate in the day to day team banter with much ease. The open door definitely worked wonders in building a camaraderie and perhaps helped build an environment of transparency, trust and psychological safety. We'd be ourselves at work knowing the door would be open yet we weren't being monitored or judged. Rather, the door was open to encourage interactions and to seek guidance at will. It indicated that this leader was open to views, opinions and ideas. The door was always open to allow transparency and trust to walk through without having to wait and knock.

The wonderful leader that I mention here is Chitra Padmanabhan. There were plenty of learnings while I worked with her, but this one resonated with me the most.

Click here to read it on Linkedin.