To use management by walking around effectively ideally you will be someone who can listen, ask exploratory questions and are observant, other than these attributes no other skills are required.
I have used this technique extensively to drive the achievement of organisational outcomes, however I am shy, the act of introducing myself to someone I do not know is very hard for me to do, though I overcome my natural discomfort because my passion for achieving excellence exceeds my level of discomfort with the act of introducing myself to someone new. If I can do it so can you.
Some managers don’t use this technique because they do not feel that they have the required charismatic.
Let me dispel this myth for you, the more charismatic you are the less effective your floor walking will be. (Highly charismatic people attract people to themself; you are best served by attracting people to the outcomes you are looking for).
If you truly want to be a great leader then read this guide, follow the Management by walking around process and trial the techniques that actually work.
However you don’t even need to be a manager to apply the techniques detailed in this guide; regardless of your position in the organisation you can follow the Management by Walking Around process and execute a successful series of floor walks to increase your organisational effectiveness.
I have written this guide to provide you with a proven process that, if you follow, will help you to obtain meaningful business outcomes through Management by Walking Around. I have also provided, from my experience, examples of how I have used this technique to obtain my strategic objectives.
Management by Walking Around: Why Some Managers Fail?
To be successful with this technique you need to understand why some leaders who use this technique fail to make a substantial and meaningful difference to their organisations.
Most leaders, who I have observed, who failed to gain real advantage from this technique missed the opportunity to add value because they
lack purpose, they seem to walk around the business with no specific goal in mind other than to walk around their business
don’t have a plan, just stopping by the usual people to say hello
are reluctant to be repetitive in their actions and as such are unwilling to adopt the required leader behaviour
lack persistence
get put off by early disappointments
talk to much and don’t listen enough
don’t know or don’t apply the process detailed on this web page
Another important reason for failure is that leaders don’t understand the following rules of engagement
As a leader you can and should talk to anyone in your organisation
You must correct or stop any unsafe act you see immediately with the employee involved and then notify their immediate supervisor
You must stop any legislative breach directly with the employee and then notify their immediate supervisor
Other than that you must follow the reporting line with any changes to an employee’s work you would like to make.
Every interaction is an opportunity to reinforce priorities
For example: When I was new to the role of Operations Manager of a timber mill I walked through the plant during production time and noticed most employees standing around doing nothing. I asked the supervisor why this might be, he replied that there was a break down and he was working on fixing it and that the other employees were not skilled to assist with a breakdown. (i.e. they stand around during breakdowns)
I discussed the break down with him and left
Later when the current crises was over I spent time with the supervisor identifying value added things he could get the employees doing when there was a breakdown.
Why did I not immediately address the poor use of labour?
At that time the breakdown was the number one priority, discussing labour usage would have given the message that labour efficiency is more important than the breakdown, and next time the repair of the equipment may have been delayed to find suitable tasks for the other employees.
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