You can’t possibly be available 24/7, but here are a few points for managers on how to be reachable even when you’re out.
- Communicate where you’ll be. If you’re out of the office and/or in all day meetings, tell your team early in the day or even the day before. Sharing your calendar is a plus. This eliminates all the “where is he/she?” banter.
- Stop shining the crystal ball. Your teams, however talented, are not mind readers. Set expectations and define roles/responsibilities clearly before you leave. No direction is like bad direction, only quieter and more annoying.
- Let go and delegate. Like it or not, you make the big decisions which makes you a bottleneck. However, decisions without you will need to be made. Empower your direct reports to make those decisions without having your seal of approval on everything. Besides, you hired them right? This not only creates an environment of trust, but helps develop leaders within your team and organization.
