Management by Wandering Around (MBWA). Do It. It Works

"Management by Wandering Around" (MBWA), a Tom Peters phrase, is a hallmark of my management practice and I highly recommend it to small business owners with more than a few employees.

Alternatively, you sit in your office, isolated from what is going on "on the floor" and guarded by your gatekeeper, secretary, assistant or whomever guards your office, diligently preventing easy access and flow of information. Unfortunately, this is very typical.

Here is what happens when you wander around:
1. Employees see you and understand that you are interested in what they do.
2. There is a free exchange of communication.
3. The boss learns what is going on.
4. The employees get immediate and direct feedback from the boss regarding what they are doing and how they are doing it.
5. Mutual respect is enhanced and relationships created.
6. Morale is boosted.
7. The boss can see firsthand what needs improvement.
8. Happy accidents occur; things happen that are unpredictable and usually very good.

My office employs an open floor plan using low dividing partitions, even for me. It works very well for us, as everyone can hear everything that is being said at any given time and thus we communicate very well. Everybody knows what's going on. I get to hear everything and intervene when appropriate, train on-the-spot, give guidance, and be available for questions and support. I know what is happening and what each person is doing. Open and easy communication occurs. I can do this without even leaving my desk. I am in the work flow, part of it, and the employees get to hear and see me work as well.

However, I also get up during the day and wander to visit telemarketing, accounting... I visit each station and talk with my employees, offer guidance, direction, support and yes, just kibitz, asking about family and other personal things. This works very well, this "management by wandering around" and being part of the workforce, not just theirboss. Be one of the small business owners who are experiencing exactly what is happening firsthand. This works.

Get out of your office, be available, walk around, talk to your employees. Let them see what you do as well. You will learn much, be a better manager and a more useful boss. This is your vision, your mission... you invented this business. More than likely, no one knows better than you what you want to deliver, so you'd better get on the floor and see what is actually happening. Stop hiding in your office when the action is on the other side of the door.