Leadership Principles

Engagement

Are you looking for a small habit that can make a huge difference in employee engagement?

MBWA – Management by Walking Around

MBWA refers to a style of management that involves managers wandering around, in an unstructured manner to engage with employees or hear about the status of ongoing work.

History

The origin of the term has been traced to executives at the company Hewlett-Packard for management practices in the 1970s.

Also, the management consultants Tom Peters and Robert H. Waterman used the term in their 1982 book In Search of Excellence: Lessons from America's Best-Run Companies.

My experience

I was already leading in a remote environment when I came across this leadership concept. Naturally, leading in a remote environment can make it difficult to “walk around”. So, I did the next best thing and picked up the phone. I would randomly call my team members to just say “hi” and see where the conversation took us. What I found from this practice is that it allowed me to get to know employees, share good news and best practices, hear concerns, offer solutions, and deliver encouragement.

When was the last time you walked around (or picked up the phone)?

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