Ever Try MBWA?

Do you even know what that means? It is Management by Walking Around. Never heard of it? It has been around a long time-since the early 80’s. It was popularized by noted business author Tom Peters. And, it still works today.


It sounds simple and it sounds fun. But, beware, you have to be sincere about what you are doing or employees will take your actions the wrong way. Let’s examine what the process entrails.


Item One
Get out from behind your desk! For some of you this will be an uncomfortable step. It isn’t always easy to deal directly with the staff. They might ask an uncomfortable question or even something which you really can’t answer for corporate reasons. But that is okay. Relax, be honest and enjoy the encounter. You just might be surprised by their response.


Item Two
Make sure you don’t “schedule” your MBWA. This management style works best if it is spontaneous. Just go for a walk and use your eyes and ears. Don’t be shy about your wanderings. Employees will get used to you being around and will look forward to their encounters with you. Make sure you swing by every sector under your management. Do not short change an area just because its location is inconvenient or you really don’t like that particular division or product. If you do bypass an area, it will come back to bite you in the long run.


Item Three
Talk to the people. You won’t do yourself or your staff a bit of good if you don’t speak to the team. If you just walk through and look around, they will wonder what is up and get a little paranoid. Talk to them about themselves and their passions-NOT JUST ABOUT WORK. Get to know the workers on a human level as communication becomes a two way street


Item Four
Ask for opinions during your MBWA session. Ask the members of your team how to improve their work environment, their current assignments, operations, products etc. Then shut up and listen. You just might learn something important. If you give this rule lip service, you will be sorry. Employees can spot a phony a mile away.


Item Five
By all means, be honest. If you can’t answer a question for political reasons, tell the employee that. If you don’t know the answer, tell them that, but also promise to try to find out for them. Then get back to the employee within the next two days. Build a trust factor with the staff.


Item Six
Sing their praises. When you find a person or group doing something right, verbalize it out loud and very publicly. Don’t ever miss the opportunity to let someone shine.


Item Seven
You don’t have to be everyone’s friend. You are still the boss. But, you can and should be perceived as the Coach of the team. Speak words of encouragement and throw out an idea or two if the team appears suck.

MBWA works best when you are real, genuinely interested in the staff and you make the effort to show it. Members of your team will view you as a person and not just a “suit” connected to corporate. You will find out over time that the little things you do really do matter and that your staff will back you up and work harder than you thought possible if they believe you care.