Leadership by walking!

Management by walking around (MBWA)

Something that actually exists and is applied to many companies. The idea is that you as a leader regularly walk around among the employees to see what is happening, listen and ask questions. Your walks should not be pre-announced, they should be done without the employees knowing in advance that it will happen.

Pros and cons

Advantages are of course that you as a leader get a picture of what is happening here and now. You can spontaneously ask questions and see what’s going on, maybe get the opportunity to catch something that isn’t working or someone who isn’t feeling well. You also get some of those steps you need during the day to feel good.

Disadvantages are that employees may feel uncomfortable and not really know what is expected of a leader who just shows up. It can also be difficult today when many people work remotely, all or part of the time. Another disadvantage is that your employees do not necessarily get to their important steps.

Leadership by walking!

The walk is something we at Walking Talking always see as an advantage. Therefore, we want to develop this phenomenon by making it more structured. Walk together! As a leader, you should regularly meet with your employees, either on site or remotely. Do one-on-ones or schedule one of your other calls and do them during a walk.

You and the employee get the benefit of activating the body and brain, which creates the opportunity to think solution-focused. It can also be easier to talk about difficult things when you are not sitting opposite each other in a meeting room.

Together you move forward, step by step, side by side.