“My door is always open.”
It’s a common refrain among managers and executives. You want everyone in your organization to know that you are accessible, engaged and willing to offer advice and guidance where appropriate. It’s good to have an open-door policy. But when is simply having an open door not enough? When should you take an active role in leading people through the door?
Organizations around the world commit vast amounts of money to finding talented people. But once they are in the door, they are often left to fend for themselves when it comes to skill development and upward mobility. The prevailing attitude in many organizations is that the cream will rise to the top on its own. Natural leaders will find ways to lead, and naturally resourceful people will make the most out of the tools at their disposal. You’ll find your star performers through an organic process.
Certainly, that can happen in some cases. But it’s a passive way of empowering your people, and it might lead to talent gaps in your business and unrealized potential for those who didn’t naturally find their opportunities to thrive.
In my two and a half years leading the largest community college in the region and state, I have seen firsthand the large number of people in Northeast Ohio who have the talent and drive to succeed and become tremendous assets to the businesses and organizations that power our economy. But they don’t always have opportunities to seize — or aren’t aware of what opportunities are available. Your door can be open. You can have a robust training program. You can have the resources available to upskill your people and develop your next generation of leaders. But if it is all just passively sitting there, all that infrastructure — all that money invested — isn’t being maximized.
When you talk about the future of your people and your business, what are you doing to guide people through the open door to upskilling and upward mobility? How are you connecting them with the opportunities around them? How are you helping them to take those first critical steps toward the next phase of their careers?
Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C®) is in the business of education, empowerment and encouragement. Every year, many thousands of area residents come to us looking for the education that will help them achieve a better future. And every year, dozens of area businesses and organizations partner with us to find qualified new employees and upskill existing employees.
Our workforce programs span a wide range of industries, including advanced manufacturing, health care, IT, construction and transportation/logistics. We also have numerous leadership training opportunities through Corporate College®, the Center for Entrepreneurs and our Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program.
Your door can always be open. But when it comes to training, that’s not enough. Whether you contact Tri-C or find another way to do it, the future of your business largely depends on how well you can guide your employees — both new and existing — through that door and toward a better, brighter future.
Michael A. Baston is President of Cuyahoga Community College.
