Walk around management can be defined as a strategy of leadership that involves the leader constantly making contact with his/her employees, working along side them, experiencing what they experience, and in the simplest terms, fighting on the front lines alongside your followers. For instance, one of the most important duties of a military general is to get out and circulate among his troops.
Sitting in the executive suite all of the time often makes leaders numb to the situations that their followers are currently facing on the front lines. It also creates a risk of critical information being lost in miscommunication between senior and middle managers.
Getting out on the front lines will create a sense of unity among followers. It shows that everybody truly is in this together, regardless of rank. Leaders who are actively involved with their followers and interact frequently with employees will generally lead a more productive, motivated, dedicated team of followers.
Leaders who circulate among their troops will also be able to foresee and prevent a problem before it develops into a major crisis because they will benefit from be able to have their finger on the “pulse” of their organization. Often times, problems in an organization develop at the grass root level and gradually enlarge and become more severe. As these problems become bigger and bigger, they gain more and more momentum and permeate every segment of an organization. By the time these problems make it to senior management, they are often developed into a crisis that has already done severe damage. However, these crises can be prevented by leaders who are at the grass root level identifying these problems.
Walk around management allows leaders to see trends earlier than they would if they were not involved on the front lines and be able to make changes to their organization to adapt to new trends and changes in the landscape of their industry.
Ultimately, leaders who actually get out there and have their fingers on the pulse of the front lines of their organization will be able to be more adept at mobilizing resources, communicating visions, and adapting their organizations to new trends and changes.
Robin Trehan is management expert
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