Read any book on leadership and you’ll be sure to come away with many ideas for activities that may make you a better leader.   A sample of some of the activities that are popular now are:

• Skip Level Meetings
• Town Hall Meetings
• New Manager Assimilation Sessions
• Coaching
• Benchmarking
• 360 Feedback
• Team Offsites

Yes – many, if not all, of these activities can make you a better leader.  But many, if not all, could also backfire if not implemented well.   Have you ever seen a leader attempt a town hall meeting and then freeze up or become defensive when confronted with questions?  You know what I mean.

Instead of looking for new activities to make you a better leader, I suggest that you start by examining your intention.  Ask yourself, “What is the result or outcome do I intend to achieve? What are some potential activities that might help me accomplish my goal?” 

If you intention is to foster more open communication with your employees, you may experiment with approaches such as skip-level meetings, more informal MBWA (management by walking around), and town halls.   When you remind yourself that your intent is more communication, you’ll find that your actions and responses come more easily and naturally.