Challenge yourself...

And speaking of Managing by Walking Around (MBWA), people in Human Resources often don’t do enough of that: they work mostly from their offices and miss out on the important relationships and knowledge that result from MBWA. I always extolled my HR staff to spend time on the floor, and as a consultant I do the same with my clients’ HR teams. Their best work happens out on the floor, in the kitchens and warehouses, behind front desks and… well, you get what I mean: anywhere but their office. The more that employees see HR people (and management people in general) in their work areas, the more they grow to know and trust them, and talk to them, and let them know what’s going on. This can be challenging for people who are not used to leaving their offices, but that’s what they need to do to change and grow. The key is being curious enough to want to leave the office, and then listening a lot, asking good questions, and using that information to know more about what the company and all those employees do. Go slow at first and build your confidence. In my consulting, we call this unfreezing – learning about and being open to new ideas and concepts, and then using them to be more effective. In work, as in life, there are many challenges – approach them with a cautious but open mind and let them change you. Challenge yourself to be more effective today.

 

Fred Devito is a member of Exhale's founding team+ Executive Director of its Teacher Training.