Archive Classics — Why “My Door Is Always Open” Still Misses the Point.

At The Right Conversation, we’ve spent over a decade exploring what really drives healthy dialogue inside organisations. So, as we look back through our archive of articles published in Harvard Business Review and MIT Sloan Management Review between 2017 and 2025, there are a few pieces that continue to resonate with almost uncomfortable relevance.

One of the most enduring is “The Problem with Saying ‘My Door Is Always Open’” (Harvard Business Review, March 2017), written by Megan Reitz and John Higgins. Nearly nine years later, the central argument still stands: good intentions are no match for the realities of power, status, and organisational life.

The Open-Door Myth We Still Haven’t Shaken Off

When leaders say, “my door is always open”, they almost always mean it sincerely. It’s intended as a gesture of approachability, transparency, and support. But sincerity doesn’t automatically create safety, and it rarely changes behaviour. The idea of an open door becomes problematic when it ignores the very dynamics that shape who speaks, who stays silent, and why.

The Unspoken Truths organisations still overlook:

In other words: doors are both literal and metaphorical. An open door physically means nothing if the psychological door is very much closed.

Why Leaders Still Struggle to Hear What They Need to Hear

Leaders are constantly battling the distortion field that forms around them. They are often told only what others think they can tolerate. They hear the edited version, the softened headline, the compliment sandwich… everything but the unvarnished truth. And yet many still trust the myth that a simple invitation is enough to counteract this dynamic.

But if leaders want to be genuinely in touch with what’s happening beyond official reporting lines, they must earn people’s willingness to speak truth to power. That means:

• Doing the personal work to understand their own reactions
• Doing the interpersonal work to create relational safety
• Doing the organisational work to signal that speaking up is valued

These are not small tasks. They require intention, skill, and time.

“I’m Too Busy” — The Symptom That Reveals the Real Priorities

But busyness is a mirror. It reflects what organisations truly value. If the calendar is full of operational reviews, board updates, and leadership meetings  but almost empty of time spent listening to people at different levels the message is clear:

• Efficiency is valued.
• Delivery is valued.
• Control is valued.
• Hearing people, deeply and courageously is... optional.

This is how cultures quietly teach employees that speaking up is a risk, not a resource.

Does it Really Matter If People Feel Safe to Speak Up?

In a word: Yes...

Listening,  truly listening isn’t a soft skill. It’s a strategic one. The organisations that thrive are those where information flows freely, ideas surface early, weak signals get noticed, and people trust that their voice matters.

An open door is a symbol.

A listening leader is a practice. 

And practice is what makes the real difference....