(credit: dilbert.com)

Here is an easy question for you to answer if you are a leader (of any capacity) within your church: Are you approachable? Okay. Here is a difficult question for you to answer: Are you really approachable, or are you bluffing yourself? Think about that for a second…

Did you serious think about that or just pop down here to keep reading?

I just saw the headline at Slashdot this post is named after, and the ensuing story shocked me.

“’After its recent bait and switch, AT&T went ahead and threatened someone emailing the company CEO about customer service concerns, namely with a query about tethering and eligibility rates. The email author also put up a voicemail recording of the company’s response and how he managed to contact the CEO in the first place — through The Consumerist.’

As Engadget notes (as does the complaining customer’s updated page), AT&T did at least offer an apology for the threat of legal action, which the company says was unauthorized.”Now I understand your church may not be the size of AT&T, or (I pray) not have the same hierarchical leadership method, but the question this brings up is relevant: are you unapproachable as a leader? Honestly, are you?

Sure, any leader can rally a bunch of yes-men around him to placate their appetite for flattery. But when the stuff hits the fan, do others have to draw straws to determine who commits professional seppuku to bring you the bad news?