Meeting Someone Where They Are
Getting out of your bubble builds relationships
“Wherever there is another human being, there is an opportunity for a kindness.” — Seneca
There are moments for leaders when it’s important to have people come to your office.
Such as the time when the CEO of Ford had me bring my two young sons up to his office on Take Your Child to Work Day. That left an impression.
On a day-to-day basis though, you can’t beat MBWA (Management By Wandering Around).
The concept was popularized thanks to Tom Peters’ In Search of Excellence, in which he documented how John Young, the CEO of Hewlett-Packard, left his 8x8 foot cubicle and walked around the floor of the office, meeting and greeting his people where they were.
“You can’t lead from your office / cubicle or via messaging or emailing or PowerPoint-ing or spreadsheet-ing. You lead by fully humanized interaction.” — Tom Peters, 2021
I was reminded of this concept when I saw a video of Tom Hanks talking about his experience on the set of Forrest Gump.
His director, Bob Zemeckis, was concerned about the continuity between the young actor playing Forrest Gump as a child and Hanks playing Forrest as an adult:
Zemeckis said, “We got a problem here. You gotta teach this kid to talk the way you want to talk.”
And Hanks’ response was: “Why don’t I just talk the way he talks right now?”
Hank’s solution was a simple one that showed he understood that it would be simpler for him to learn something from someone rather than to force someone to learn something from him.
In that moment, he was creative, thoughtful, and generous.
Oh, and it’s worth mentioning that on many occasions at Ford, Alan Mulally would wander around the WHQ building, popping into offices and conference rooms unannounced, and take it all in.
When you go see someone where they are, it’s kind of like a box of chocolates.
You never know what you’re gonna get.
There’s so much to learn,
More:
Tom Peters talks more about MBWA and other stories on Timeless Leadership:
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Thanks Scott. I really appreciate your posts. This week I discovered SHRM's Civility Index. Your essay reminded me of this index. There's a real opportunity and necessity for leaders and workers to advance the spirit of kindness and civility and meet people where they are. Thank you for helping build the momentum!