BAW's Home Office (Photo credit: bayareabaw)
I was speaking to a group of executives a few weeks ago and they came to a consensus that they probably did not know the people with whom they work as well as they should. While they know it is important and they realize that leadership is more about relationships than position, they admitted to not spending the time they should on this important task.
When I started teaching in the 80s, the book In Search of Excellence by Tom Peters and Robert Waterman had just come out about what made companies excellent. And one of the management themes that became popular out of the book was a concept called "Management by Walking Around" (MBWA). A very simple idea: Get out of your office and walk around and in the process--get to know the people who work there. Get to know all of them including the janitors and the chefs. I am calling this Leadership by Walking Around.
This sounds so simple, but I find that leaders don't take the time to do this. It is easier to stay in the office and use technology to communicate, but you don't get to know people on a personal level as well. I am part of a faith-based social justice group called AMOS (A Metropolitan Organizing Strategy). There are about 35 churches as members and I have enjoyed getting to know people in so many of the churches. We use a concept called One-on-One which means that we set up coffee times to meet with just one other person whom we don't know in order to build relationships. This method can be used in any setting such as getting to know all of the church members in your church or in any organization or class.
When I was a division chair, I used this strategy. I met with each person in my division one at a time to listen to their dreams and goals for the division. Then I compiled the list, identified themes, and presented the findings to the division as a whole. People are more likely to follow people they know and trust.
So how do you build trust?
You need to get to know people and everyone has a story they want to tell. When you walk around, look at their offices, cubicles, or work spaces. Most people decorate them with items, photos, objects that reflect what is important to them. These items are part of their personal stories. They are proud of what they display.
This is a perfect place to start. As you walk around:
- Ask them questions.
- Show an interest in what is important to them.
- Listen to what they tell you.
- Use that information to build relationships.
I read once that if you were appointed as the new leader and walked into the room, the most important questions people want answered are:
Who is this person?
Why should I follow them?
I hope you are asking yourself: How well does my team know me?
How do you know?
So now is the time to get out of your office and start walking around. Get to know the people on a deeper level. If you are the leader and you don't have an office (such as Chair of a Board or President of an organization), plan a One-on-One meeting with everyone. Take them to coffee with no agenda other than to get to know them and to listen.
Let me know how this goes. I think it is the best use of time in order to build a team to accomplish goals. Now is the time for LBWA.
Well done blog, Doc. Researched well, your own thoughts and experiences were included and very good points to ponder were given to the readers. Try this style from now on instead of the crap you usually write in about 5 minutes and then hit the post button......
Posted by: El Kabong | August 28, 2012 at 10:47 AM