Are You Stuck Behind Your Desk?

[tconnor]

Management Tips #255
Are You Stuck Behind Your Desk?

When was the last time you got out from behind your desk and just wandered around your department or organization with no particular intent or agenda in mind other than to just talk with the members of your department or organization? It’s been called – Management By Walking Around. Ever heard the term?

You say, you don't have time. Are too busy. Have too much on your plate. Excuses, excuses! I will guarantee you that the benefits of getting to know your people and letting them know you care about them will go a long way in improving morale, communication and employee performance and this time spent with them will have dramatic indirect positive rewards for you as a manager.

If you are stuck behind closed doors all day every day in meetings, conferences, research . . . whatever I will guarantee stuff is falling through the cracks and you won't even know it until all h_ _ _ breaks loose - a lost customer, vendor or your best employee and this is just the beginning.

You can't manage your organization from behind your desk, period You can only coach, train, inspect, lead and direct when you are in the presence of your employees.

You would be amazed at how many managers hide behind paperwork, meetings, busy schedules and a variety of avoidance tactics. I guarantee, if you are not visible to your employees on a regular basis, that STUFF, important stuff, is not getting done or is being done wrong.
Being visible allows you to:

1. Catch people doing things right and recognize them.
2. Catch people doing things wrong and modify behavior through coaching.
3. Keep in touch with the reality of your department or organization.
4. Be available for questions, concerns or the needs of your employees.
5. Find new creative ways to run your department.
6. Be a sounding board for your employees.
7. Send the message to your employees that you care and are interested in them and their jobs.
8. Fix things before they break.
9. Break things that need to be broken.
10. Determine common perceptions that people have about the business, their jobs, customers, etc.

The most effective managers and leaders today get to know their people. They know their frustrations, concerns, questions, beliefs, problems, dreams, goals, strengths and weaknesses. You can't know any of this barricaded behind piles of reports, non-stop meetings and a heavy workload. The job of a manager is to manage it not do it.

Some managers would say that familiarity breeds contempt. If this is your attitude please call me I have a couple of openings in my April 2-day Management Boot camp.