How to wander effectively
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Last week, the New York Times ran an interview with Brian Dunn, CEO of Best Buy, under the headline, "You Want Insights? Go to the Front Lines." It's that old MBWA song again.
The reason that "Management by Wandering Around" (MBWA) gets such good press is that it works when it's done right. Sam Walton used to urge his corporate managers to hit the road by telling them that "Nothing important happens in Bentonville."
It seems so simple. You just head out to the field. There you have an opportunity to share your vision of the company and listen to real people to find out what life is really like on the front lines. Well, maybe.
The fact is that MBWA is about as easy to mess up as it is to do well. Here are some guidelines for effective management wandering.
Wander habitually. The only way to make your arrival a non-event is to make it a frequent event.
Go alone. Unless you're really, really bad you don't need a body guard. And you can probably buy your own lunch. Better yet, bring lunch for everyone.
Don't play "Gotcha!" You're not there to catch folks doing something wrong. If you do they'll remember and it will influence the way they act when you show up again. You're not there to embarrass the facility manager or team leader, either.
Listen more than you talk. Yes, two ears and one mouth. The fact is that you can't learn anything while you're talking.
Ask questions, but not too many. Ask simple, open-ended questions. Then shut up and listen. Do not conduct an interrogation.
Take notes. Notes are a sign that you value what you're being told and serious about doing something with it.
Don't make promises you can't keep. Promise to follow up and get back with people. Beyond that, investigate before you act.
Say, "Thank you." Your mother told you it was important. It is. Besides people are sharing valuable information and perspective with you.
Follow up. If action is needed, take it. Whatever you do or don't do be sure to let people know what you did.
Boss's Bottom Line
The best bosses show up a lot. When you do that you make conversation possible. You make learning more likely. And you catch problems while they're still small enough to solve easily.
Remember this. The higher up the org chart you go, the more you need to get out and cultivate your own view of reality.
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: Supervision,MBWA,Management,Leadership
Tags: Supervision MBWA Management Leadership
Brilliant post Wally!
Most people confuse MBWA as a very casual and random activity, where as it needs a lot of discipline to show up everyday and "communicate" (not just talk or hear).
I loved the idea of not playing 'Gotcha' - when a manager starts doing that, he looses respect and people get on a back foot. People on a back foot rarely open up in communication. Catching people doing wrong and beating them up right there is #1 killer of trust.
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Thanks for those comments, Tanmay. You're right, many managers treat MBWA like it's a random activity instead of a purposeful one. And I love your discussion of "not getting people on their back foot." Very helpful and clear.
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Wally,
I loved this post. Again, simple things to do, but tough to implement.
A wonderful former client of mine needed to do all of the things you've listed, but mostly the listening and asking part.
What made it hard for him was that he is an introvert. I mean REALLY an introvert. In past leadership positions, he would close his door and stick to himself without big consequences. It didn't work in this new position where he needed to convince a group of long-time employees (he was new to the organization) who'd had a former manager who let them run rampant and do whatever they pleased. And there were big changes that needed to be made. I started to work with him after a couple of employees had run off to complain to HR about him.
He needed to be visible. He was a nice guy - but firm. And people needed to see that he was ok, and had their best interest at heart because they were making up stories about him in his absence.
It was magic. He got out regulary, met people, learned how to ask some of those great open-ended questions and actually converse with people. The change initiative went perfectly, and his organization recieved accolades. I'm pretty sure this wouldn't have happened without his MBWA.
Simple stuff done consistently can really make a big difference. Who said that?
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That's a fabulous example, Mary Jo. Thanks for sharing it. Once they get out and start doing it, MBWA seems to work especially well for introverts. They become familiar to their team and vice versa so some of the discomfort drains away. And they will naturally listen a lot.
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As always,Wally, you make a good point. It's so simple and powerful that it can do with some clarifying! Many bosses try things like MBWA as a formula, more than as a tool at the service of the art of their own leadership. Its the connection, the reality check, the hands-on views that make this practice valuable on a day to day basis. In some cases, you need to be creative about how to pull it off in teams that are distributed geographically or virtually, but it always pays off, as you put it, to "show up"
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Thanks Monica. I love your comment that managers try things "as a formula, rather than as a tool." It's another form of magical thinking.
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Reading this post reminded me someone my husband and I worked with during our church planting days. Our work -- along with the work of pastors across 4 or 5 states -- was overseen by an executive minister (Dan) who stayed in contact by phone, email, and visits.
We always absolutely loved it when Dan came to our church. He kept his presence pretty low key, but always arrived early so he could meet people and take time to get to know them. He always took us out to lunch after church
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Thanks for that great little story Becky. I had a similar experience with one of my mentors. He was my boss and it was always a good thing when he came to town to visit. That was a sharp contrast with he predecessor who spent most of his time telling us how smart he was.
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Yes! Love this post - excellent advice. Strongly concur with ditching the entourage - that sends the wrong message!
Would add one thing - SMILE! Look people in the eye, and try to think of something you like about them - right now. It has an amazing effect. If folks don't think you care, neither will they.
For taking notes, consider just carrying some 3x5 note cards in a pocket. Deming used to advocate that.
And make sure to NOT leave folks with a to-do list when you depart. If you do, they will never tell you anything again. Resist the temptation to give on the spot advice if you can.
Great stuff, Wally! Keep up the good work. Bret
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Thanks for those kind words and adding two great suggestions, Bret. Smiling is important, but some of us intense types can forget that as we concentrate. And never leaving a To Do list is a great tip. As for 3 X 5 cards, they go with me everywhere, along with my pocket digital voice recorder.
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Excellent advice that dates back to Abraham Lincoln's leadership lessons. Donald Phillips' writes in "Lincoln on Leadership" about Lincoln's practice to "Get out of the office and circulate among the troops."
A CEO once commented to me that wandering around makes him look like he doesn't know where he's going. I replied with the Tolkien quote that "All who wander are not lost."
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Thanks, Angie. Lincoln would be a great role model here, along with Henry V as portrayed in that play who gave his people "a little touch of Harry in the night."
As for your CEO friend, the Tolkien quote is one way to look at it, but so is that fact that wandering helps some people find where they're going.
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Hi Wally,
LOVE your blog! I'm not in management but am laying a foundation in case I ever wind up in that snake pit. Question: Any advice on how to get your manager to MBWA? Mine refuses to, even in her very own department, much less elsewhere in the company, and it's infuriating. Thanks a bunch!
P.G.
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Glad you like the blog. Thanks for letting me know and adding your comments.
I suggest that you check out a post I "The Boss Trap" about why becoming a boss isn't for everyone. And check this post on different career paths.
As for getting your boss out and about, I really don't have much to offer. You can leave articles on her desk and anonymous messages on voicemail suggesting it's a good idea, but the reality is that it's probably very scary. When I've seen this in the wild it almost always takes a boss or mentor to provide the push and to make it as non-threatening as possible. You may get other ideas from the comments above.
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Is this something that really needs telling these days? Surely the concept that you can't manage if you don't know what's going on, and subsequently the best way to know what's going on is to see for yourself is not one that people need telling?
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Evidently they do.
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When I started my last job, my manager said we would come to an agreement on what he expected of me as we went along. That sounded fine to me but I didn't see him for three months. To this day he and other managers show up every morning and insist that we do also, in timeclock fashion, then they don't leave their offices except to go home. There's a remarkable gap between the organization in theory - the office view - and the real work and culture that is created outside the offices. So yes, the wonderful concept of MBWA needs repeating, again and again and again.
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Thanks for that post, Kathryn. You also point out the all-too-common disconnect between the official idea of "how we do business" and how business is actually done. Chris Argyris called them "The Theory Espoused" and "The Theory in Use."
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Wally, the leaders that get this one right possess one of the most important elements of leading. And equally important, it is an excellent means of picking up the silent problems that might be present in the organization. Great post with great take aways. Thanks
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Thanks, Rodney. You're so right. Showing and having conversations that matter with your people is about as powerful a technique as there is.
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Effective post Will. I am thankful to Thanks Tanmay for sharing this.
My 2 cents on Gotcha: People who feel good about themselves produce great results. So if we really want to play ‘Gotcha’ we can, but with the reversed context.
Catch them doing something right and help them reach their full potential.
Cheers!
Utpal
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Great idea, Utpal. I like the idea of "Reverse Gotcha." Several of my clients have practiced it in their own way. One trucking company owner carried gift certificates with him for a meal in one of several fine restaurants. He would give them to people he caught doing something good. Police Chief Barbara Childress gave out "'preciate ya" cards to officers she spotted doing good things.
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