Get out
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There are several things that I don't like about what Terry Lundgren has done at what is now Macy's. Ditching iconic store names like Filene's, Marshall Field's, and Kaufmann's to save a few bucks on advertising and inventory strikes me as allowing the murder of common sense by analysis.
But even there I've found things I like. Lundgren has always been willing to explain his reasons. He has always been willing to get out of the office and go to places like Chicago to do so. That takes both confidence and guts.
Lundgren works at getting out and communicating. Sunday's New York Times carried a great interview with him in the Corner Office column. The title is "Knock-Knock: It’s the C.E.O."
The Times asks how he stays in touch with people in the company. The first answer is that he just pops into a store at least once a week. Here's a power quote.
"Most of the time, it’s just a good experience. I learn as much by going through a store as anything I do, much more than sitting in my office at my computer or holding a big meeting here, because I’m learning and seeing exactly what our customer is seeing"
That matches everything in my research. Great supervisors show up a lot. And every boss is a supervisor.
In my Working Supervisor's Support Kit and my book, Performance Talk, I say that when you show up a lot good things can happen. You learn about your people and the world they work in. They learn about you and that you're a person, not just a position.
But one-on-one isn't enough. You've got to keep communicating important things to everyone. Lundgren does that these days with a monthly webcast.
In some ways, these are the technological version of his "NM Update" town hall meetings, which he started at Neiman Marcus. He talks for fifteen minutes. Then he answers emailed questions for fifteen minutes.
Boss's Bottom Line
You need to show up a lot so you get a sense of reality and your people get a sense of you. It's the only way real conversation can happen. And it gives you many opportunities to coach, counsel, encourage, and correct so you deal with problems while they're small.
You also need to communicate regularly with the whole group about important things. You need to share news and your key themes. But, like Terry Lundgren you need to listen and answer questions, too.
Wally's Working Supervisor's Support Kit is a collection of information and tools to help working supervisors do a better job. It's based on what Wally's learned in over twenty years of supervisory skills training. Click here to check it out.
Categories: MBWA, Communication, Leadership
Tags: MBWA Communication Leadership
Hi Wally:
I enjoyed this post and find your conclusions to be spot-on. CEOs who hide out in their office, won't be CEOs for long. You might be interested in reading the following post: http://www.n2growth.com/blog/ceosget-out-of-your-office
Keep up the good work Wally.
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Thanks for stopping by, Mike. it's not just CEOs. Managers at any level are at risk if they hunker down in their office.
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Hi Wally,
This brings to mind the old "management by walking around" philosophy, a phrase that has fallen into the cliche bin unfortunately.
The message behind it though, continues to be relevant and important. As you so correctly observe, you really can't build relationships or see what's really going on unless you are willing to get out and talk to people.
Great post and good reminder!
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Thanks Gwyn. You're right, MBWA has indeed fallen into "the cliché bin" What a marvelous phrase.
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The other nice thing about getting out of the office... Not only do your people get to understand what you want done, you get to understand what they are are really doing and have a better feel for the nuts and bolts of your organizations workings. Helps you find solid footing the next time a critical decision finds its way to your door.
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Thanks, Fred. So many good things grow from this behavior that it's astounding to me that more bosses don't do it. Another key point the Lundgren made in the Times interview was that he always tried to make his visit a good one for the store manager. That's important, too. Your visit should make things better, not worse.
There's a story about Dwight Eisenhower walking among the troops. He asked a young man, "How are they treating you, son." The young man complained about the food. Eisenhower immediately turned to the commander and said, "Take care of that."
That's a good story about Ike, but I've always wondered why the unit commander hadn't already discovered the issue and dealt with it. My guess is that he was too busy being important to be in touch.
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The best leaders I ever had often walked around and stopped to chat a few minutes, with all sorts of folks, not just the leadership. These leaders inspired me to do my best work.
So many leaders, though, don't seem to understand this idea. They hole up in their offices and claim to be so busy that they don't have time to waste. The irony is that they are, in fact, likely wasting time that could perhaps be put to better use.
Which brings me to what I see as a great flaw in the way we choose leaders. Why don't we choose "people people" instead of basing our choices on technical expertise alone? If we did, we'd probably see more "management by walking around" -- as well as more engaged employees and possibly even greater success.
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Thanks for sharing that. I'm told that one of Sam Walton's favorite lines was "Nothing important happens in Bentonville."
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