I had some friends who used to say they worked for “A manager – he manages to do nothing at all.” Unfortunately, in many work situations, that seems to be the perception about management.
Having an effective MBWA (Management By Walking Around) strategy can enable you to look busy, stay on top of your staff, and keep others from thinking you are “managing to do nothing”. While management needs to focus on the days sales, productivity, or other immediate goals while also balancing long-term success, managers who show employees that they know how to do their jobs (or the stresses involved in those jobs) are the ones who are the most credible.
Managers can sometimes be manager in name only, and unfortunately in the case of the manager who manages to do nothing at all, that perception may never go away, especially with those who are perennial malcontents or wish they had the title of manager. However, it nonetheless is important to walk the talk, spend time each day with every employee, even if it is just a minute or two talking about the days activities, and you will find that you are among the very best at what you do.
