As a leader, it is easy to get stuck in our office and isolated from the
realities of the workplace. We need to “escape from management land”
and find out what is really going on.
Leaders need to practice what Tom Peters calls “Management By Walking Around” (MBWA) - which we have previously written about here.
Here are some more suggestions inspired by a post in the Great Leadership blog
Tag along.
Take a genuine interest in their work, and tag along with your employees
as they do their jobs. You will learn what is working well and what
frustrates them. You will see which of your systems are helping or
hindering. You will also identify their coaching and development needs.
Hint – don’t try to correct every mistake. Identify the #1 area for
improvement and address one thing at a time.
Have regular 1 on 1 meetings with your employees.
Sounds too obvious? Try asking a random group of employees if their
direct supervisor has regular formal 1 on 1 meetings with them to
discuss performance and see what they say. Don’t leave this to chance.
Make formal 1 on 1 meetings with direct reports something you measure
and hold all your management team accountable for. Have them document
the key points of each meeting and scan these to identify overall themes
for improvement.
Measure employee engagement.
Increasing employee engagement has been shown to increase employee
productivity. Survey your people anonymously to find out what they
really think. Then share with your people what you have learned and
what actions you are taking to improve things. They will participate
willingly in surveys – but only if they can see that doing so will make a
positive difference to their work environment.
Face to face time.
If you have employees in multiple locations, get out and visit each
location on as part of a planned schedule. Absence does not make the
heart grow fonder. Yes we have amazing video conferencing tools
available, but that does not replace sitting down face to face with your
people and building strong bonds over a meal together. Again – make
this a measurable practice.
Break bread.
Eat with your employees or go out for coffee every chance you can get.
Take an interest in them as people. Share personal aspects of yourself
too.
Don’t shoot the messenger.
Establish a culture of open, honest dialogue. Make it safe for your
people to speak up about things they disagree with, and to challenge the
status quo. You may not always agree with them – but you need to show
that you care enough to listen and can empathize with their point of
view.
Get regular feedback.
Research shows that leaders who regularly ask for feedback from their
peers and employees are rated higher than leaders that don’t. Asking
for feedback is a sign of strength and confidence. Do a 360 assessment
every year and take action to address the issues that are holding you
back from realizing your full potential as a leader.
Stephen Lynch
Chief Operating Officer - Global Operations
RESULTS.com