My MBWA Degree Paid The Greatest Dividends

What's a 'MBWA' degree? Managing By Walking Around! I didn't coin the phrase but I have certainly earned it and lived it after an important career wake up call.

When starting a new leadership role in a mid market company, one of the very first things that happens is the immersion. Basically this is an all hands meeting where we introduce ourselves and host a Q&A session. Generally these sessions are moderated but not always. It can be an important process in assimilation. In 2006 I started with a new org and I chose to walk the floors before my immersion session.

I was walking the floor one morning in our order entry department and found nearly everyone on the floor in a super foul mood. I was walking back up to my lofty office and made the comment, I thought under my breath, "man, that dept is a snake pit". Well, maybe it was but what I didn't know was that everyone in that department had just about pulled an all-nighter processing paperwork manually because we were having systems issues and it was month end. I'd be in a foul mood too!

Apparently I said 'snake pit' loud enough to be overheard by the wrong person (turns out it was actually the RIGHT person). When I got back to my desk after lunch I had a little gift waiting for me.

Yep, sitting on my desk was a toy snake! Talk about delivering a message! I've never been more embarrassed as a manager in a 30 year career. The message delivered to me very tactfully was that I was completely insensitive to the challenges faced by the staff and quite frankly, even rude. To cap this off, when I walked by the dept later in the day, I heard a small voice coming from behind my back whisper "SSSSsssssssss" Obviously the hissing sound of a snake!!

I went home that night ashamed of myself. This was a wake up call for me on so many levels (actually wasn't a wake up call because I couldn't sleep that night at all). As I tossed and turned that night, I made a crazy commitment to myself. I pledged that every morning I was in the office, after that first cup of 'go juice', I would walk the floor and say good morning to EVERY single staff member. Two floors of cubes and offices, warehouse, and training facility. Depending on who was in that day, 100-200 people.

The first couple days were rough. Distrusting and a bit stung by the 'snake pit' comment, interactions were a brief "hi" or sometimes just barely a grunt. I'd hear comments behind my back like "dude is on crack" "what does he do, he doesn't work, he just walks around" "something's up, someone's getting fired"

Slowly the the shields came down, on both sides. Not only were there 'hello's and good mornings' but there was fun and intriguing conversation. I learned about passion through this team that I once under my breath called 'the snake pit'. They shared what was wrong with the company, you know, that stuff we pay mid level managers to cover up (smh). They shared their passions for the business and each other. This was like crack (I imagine), I couldn't get enough of it!?

I had some career changing takeaways:

1. It takes a personal and genuine investment in the company's greatest asset, the people, to understand the challenges and opportunities of a business.
2. What happens to people outside the four walls of work, what we bring to work with us everyday, can be a better predictor of performance than any other training or resources we give our staff.
3. People's real passions don't include the 8-9 hours they work everyday. For many, the job is purely an enabler to those other passion. You need to enable those passions!
4. Every single one of us is an amazing book of experiences, passions, and talents just waiting to be opened by someone!
5. Leadership is about visibility but not a popularity contest. You are going to have to make difficult decisions and there needs to be boundaries.

For those that taught me this valuable lesson I will be forever grateful. Thank you for your patience and investment. It's had an impact on literally thousands of people since then thanks to your ability to forgive and share your dreams. To this day, there are many who make the hissing sound when we greet each other. But, this time it's face to face and an indication of a special bond, a recognition that the most important degree a leader can ever EARN (and it is earned) is his/her MBWA!