In the early 2000s, when the first hypermarkets opened in Romania, I remember that no matter how many times I went shopping there, I would meet the general manager, the store manager, the category manager. I knew them because they were our clients, French people with a lot of energy, who were very dedicated to their work. The store manager’s office oversaw the whole space, every alley, so he could have that helicopter view.
There was not a weekend when I went there and did not meet one of them going from category to category, talking to the clients, with the employees. They were, for me, the definition of the concept of ‘management by walking around’. They succeeded, the company performed well, their results were for a long time the best in Europe.
I think about them many times when I hear people complaining that their managers do not show an interest in them, do not ask them anything, do not talk to them.
I believe that managers often, especially those from top management, lock themselves in their ivory tower and sit in meetings, creating different plans, strategies, and forget to walk around and ask those in their teams, how they are, what is happening, what challenges they face, what clients ask for, what they think the company can do so it gets better.
I remember a case study that I talked about at EMBA, where an aviation firm that wanted to reduce costs, decided to ask for suggestions from stewardesses. They selected some suggestions, implemented them, without affecting the clients, and succeeded in streamlining spending elegantly (I think it was about reducing the number of olives for the business class).
I think there are a few reasons why a manager might not do what my clients did at the hypermarket:
Introverted profile – withdrawn, more challenging to speak to people
The fear of what they might find
The fear that they are not well prepared (impostor syndrome)
An ‘It’s none of my business’ attitude
Their behaviour was validated throughout time, considering that what they are doing is ok
Takes on too many responsibilities to hide afterwards behind the ‘I do not have time’ excuse
They heard/read that a top manager has to create strategies, not talk to regular employees
It seems dangerous long term. Employees will not necessarily point out that you are doing something wrong, that some decisions have a negative impact on clients. The power distance in Romania is quite high, many preferring not to go the manager, much less so if it is the CEO.
If we do not move towards people, towards clients, then how we find out the major challenges faced by those who interact with clients?
If we do not visit, for example, different branches of a bank, unannounced, how are we to find out that the employees are overwhelmed by the number of clients, that the latter spend hours on queues, that they are unhappy? I have these experiences with a bank.
I think it is time to get out of our bubble and see what is happening in the intersection points with customers, what is the atmosphere among the ‘districts of the company’. What are the ‘pain points’ of customers, of employees? This way we will better understand what needs to be done, what decisions we should take.
And if we do not feel like going towards them, we should hire a mentor, executive coach, who can support us in finding the best version of ourselves, and help us create an empathy plan with the experience of the client and employee and then implement it.
It may be difficult at first; however, I am 100% sure of the benefits on medium and long term.
