I firmly believe that you shouldn’t expect what you don’t inspect, which means if you want your business to run smoothly, you need to be hands-on in your management. One effective way to accomplish this is through a strategy known as “MBWA,” which stands for “management by walking about.”

What Does the Leadership Technique Known as Managing by Walking Around Involve?

As the name suggests, MBWA is a leadership philosophy that encourages managers to leave their offices, roam the workplace, chat with employees, and observe operations on the front lines.

Regularly wandering through your business without a concrete purpose can be extremely helpful. It keeps you close to your people, helps you avoid surprises, and makes it easier to offer compliments and corrections. If you choose to manage from afar, you will continually be ill-advised, uninformed, and oblivious to the real issues in your business.

Businesses such as Hewlett-Packard use the MBWA approach and champion it as a key factor in their success. It can work for you, too.

What Are the Benefits of Management by Walking Around?

Informal Leadership and Its Impact

MBWA lets you adopt a slightly less formal leadership style, which breaks down barriers between managers and employees. This can improve your office culture, strengthen team dynamics, and foster stronger, more effective employee-manager relationships.

Being Present and Accessible

Making your presence known around the office helps employees feel more comfortable approaching you, whether to celebrate successes or address pressing issues.

Observing, Listening, and Engaging with Employees

Managing by walking around provides leaders with an opportunity to observe, listen to, and engage with their employees. The goal is not to be an imposing presence—it’s to be an active participant in the workplace.

Uncovering Hidden Challenges and Opportunities

You’ll be surprised by how much you’ll notice about your workplace and your employees when you take the time to walk around. Employee behavior, system bottlenecks, and recurring setbacks quickly become obvious when you spend time on the floor.

What are the Disadvantages of Management by Wandering Around?

Although the results of the MBWA approach are overwhelmingly positive, there are a few potential disadvantages to keep in mind. First, some employees might see your presence as micromanagement or a lack of trust, especially if this is a new strategy for you. You can mitigate this by being open, honest, and consistent in your approach.

Second, avoid making hasty decisions based on your observations. Remember that you’re only seeing snippets of your employees’ day, and your presence there might impact their behavior. Any conclusions you draw should be thoroughly researched before you act.

Finally, the most obvious drawback is that the MBWA approach requires taking time out of your busy schedule, which can detract from your other work. When you have a lot of high-level tasks on your to-do list, it might seem like a waste to wander around the office.

Overall, though, it’s worth tolerating these minor issues to reap the benefits of being informed about your business.

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Coach Dave