Management by walking around is all about staying in touch with your team. In this brief post we share 10 practical tips to transform your relationship with employees.
What kind of leader are you? Do you sit in an ivory tower directing your teams or do you get out of the office? Perhaps you engage people and lead by example. If you do, chances are you’re trusted, respected, and productivity is good.
One sees great things from the valley; only small things from the peak – G. K. Chesterton
Management by Walking Around
Management by walking around can transform your relationship with employees because it sends a positive message and demonstrates you have a genuine interest in their work. Try this
- Regularly take time to meet your staff; but don’t over do it
- Visit everyone; not only your direct reports
- Listen and observe
- Ask questions
- Give positive feedback and recognise achievements
- Share your vision
- Get to know your team; take an interest in what they do
- Answer questions honestly
- Encourage team members to approach you with ideas; listen with presence
- Don’t criticise publicly; deal with any performance issue during supervision
You may be surprised by what you see!
Management by walking around gets you closer to your team. You’re more likely to keep up with what’s happening and less likely to be surprised.
Leadership Thought
Today we tend to communicate with our teams using email, meetings or the occasional telephone call.
Too often managers are burdened by the pressures of work and find they don’t have the time to meet with employees regularly.
What message does this convey? Can you imagine family life working like this? Certainly not!
Relationship are built on human interaction. People need to talk and share their feelings. And relationships have a direct effect on the organisation’s culture and the efficacy of teams.
Management by walking around is about building relationships and building trust. Therefore, make the effort and make this part of your daily habit.
Have Your Say
Great Things
Have you tried management by walking around? What are the benefits? Does your manager or manager’s manager regularly drop by for a chat? How do you receive these visits? Please join the discussion.
Images: Pickersgill Reef and Mark Hughes.
Hi Tristan, great post. I believe in keeping in touch with staff members and stepping out of my office several times a day to see if there is something that I can help them with. Not only do they appreciate it, but it also serves as an open invitation to my office as well. Have a great Sunday!
Hello Tina, thanks for stopping by. Management by walking around helps build productive relationships on so many levels. Sometimes I think we forget that most communication is non-verbal. If we don’t see people we miss on so much!
As ever,
Tristan