Management by walking around is a simple concept coined by Tom Peters and Robert Waterman in their 1982 book In Search of Excellence.

It involves getting out from behind the desk, walking around and observing. It is informal and unstructured. If managing a department, talk to and, more importantly listen to your people. If a politician, listen to and respond to all of your constituents, not just those who are close friends or share your point of view. If responsible for a facility, know it, intimately. When there is a problem go out and look at it, think about it, and learn about it, and ask questions about it.

It is too easy for busy leaders (we are all leaders in some way) to make decisions based on reports or recommendation from trusted advisors rather than actual knowledge. This is easy because of time constraints. It is also safe as bad decisions can be blamed on erroneous reports or the advisor who can be blamed, aka thrown under the bus should things go wrong.

Remember, in leadership, like it or not, the buck stops with you. Walk around, learn, and make the best decision based on knowledge and facts. Decisions will be better and better supported by those around you.

Also, walking around is good exercise. Try it.

Jim