A reader writes:
I am a first-time manager at an organization where I have worked in different contributor roles for 10 years. My department analyzes a great deal of data and writes summaries of our findings. I have always found it helpful to listen to music while focusing on my tasks. As I am adjusting to being a manager, I’m wondering if it’s appropriate to wear headphones — does it make me too unapproachable? As I think of the other directors in my organization and my prior bosses, I can’t remember any of them wearing headphones at their desks. Is this one of those unspoken rules of managing?
If I had to give a general rule, I’d say to be cautious about wearing headphones as a manager because it can make people less likely to approach you when they need you, and you want to be approachable to your team (and to others, for that matter). But that’s not a blanket “no.”
It depends heavily on your responsibilities, your team, and your dynamics with them. For example, if you can tell your staff members, “I sometimes wear headphones to help me focus, but if you need me in the moment, I want you to interrupt me” and you know that they’ll be willing to do that, then there’s more room for it. Even then I’d be a bit wary since for most people, the barrier is at least a little higher to bothering someone who has headphones on, even if only subconsciously, and you want to encourage open, easy conversation with your team. But it’s about knowing your team and how they’ll take that instruction.
It also depends on how frequent it is. If you just need deep focus time for a few hours a week and you tell your team in advance that you’re going to be in deep-focus mode from 1-4 pm on Thursday but to interrupt you if something is truly urgent, that’s very reasonable! You’re allowed to have — and will probably need — deep focus times as a manager. But that’s a different thing than being in headphones a good part of every day.
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