LBWA – Leadership By Walking Around

– by Dennis Passovoy –

The show “the Office” on NBC pokes fun at the corporate world; and as an HR executive, I sometimes cringe at some of the antics that Michael Scott (the office manger) seems to get away with.  Some of this is due to the fact that Michael Scott’s branch of Dunder Mifflin is the most successful branch in the company (which I’m sure is a result of the writers’ irony, that this bumbling idiot has the most successful branch).

But I see this a little differently–What Michael does well is what we refer to as “leadership by walking around.”  In his case, he’s probably avoiding any actual work; but at the same time, he knows everything about his employees, what’s going on in their lives, what their career goals are, and most importantly, how to manage them based on their individual personalities.  (Notice how he manages Jim as opposed to how he manages Dwight Schrute).

The days of the corner office where the CEO sits in isolation are over.  Leadership needs to take the time to get up, walk around, talk to people, understand their goals and ambitions, understand their personal lives, and take interest in the initiatives they care about.

A little trick I use that helps me accomplish a similar level of interaction, but in a more passive manner (i.e., I don’t have to actively walk around talking to folks) is to keep a big bowl of candy on my conference table.  You would be amazed (or maybe not) at how people are drawn to that bowl of candy.  When they wander in to get a piece, it is natural to stike up a non-threatening conversation.

If you’re thinking that you don’t have the time for this, consider:  Engaged employees are much more productive than those that are not engaged.  You’ll earn their trust and their loyalty, and you’ll help them feel appreciated.  And another benefit, you’ll probably hear some good ideas for improvement along the way that you wouldn’t have heard otherwise.

As a sidenote, I think Dwight Schrute’s character is indicative of an old-school manager, stuck in the 80’s corporate paradigm.  He is funny because he doesn’t fit in the new model of management.

Dennis Passovoy is the president of RFG, Inc., an Employee Engagement Advisory firm in Austin, TX that believes in inspiring and harnessing the limitless power of individuals to create unstoppable organizations.  He can be reached at dpassovoy@rfg.com.