Face-to-face connections still matter—and might be the missing piece in your comm strategy

Remember Management by Walking Around (MBWA)? In the age of hybrid work and ever-present technology, this old-school approach to leadership may feel outdated—but it just might be more relevant than ever.

While some leaders stay behind closed doors, others who embrace MBWA build tighter teams and boost engagement simply by spending time where the work happens. So, is MBWA still viable? Discover how this time-tested tactic might bridge the gap between leaders and employees, and find out how you can bring the spirit of MBWA into your own approach.

Genuine interactions, not just face time, builds trust and closes the gap between leaders and employees.

Remember the old phrase, MBWA? Management By Walking Around?

It used to be a big thing. The premise was simple: Managers and Executives could build better relationships, and drive things like engagement and more open communication, by “walking around” the workplace more often.

Obviously, that does NOT mean just walking around with your head down, moving from meeting to meeting. It means stopping at cubicles to talk with employees. About work and/or personal things.

It means having lunch in the cafeteria. (The REGULAR cafeteria, not the fancy executive cafeteria.) I once consulted for a company where the executives all worked on the 7th floor, dismissively known as “Rug Row.” They rarely left. They took their meals there. Had their meetings there. The only time they left was to go home.

Needless to say, the gap between execs and employees wasn’t a gap. It was a schism. And the culture suffered for it.

A CEO Who Got It Right: MBWA in Action

One the flip side, one of the best CEOs I ever had the pleasure to work with once told me: “I don’t even answer e-mails until after 5 p.m. Because I want to spend the majority of the workday with employees.”

And he did! Cindy and I spent a couple of days on site consulting with the Comms Team, and every time I saw the guy (and I saw him a LOT), the CEO would be talking to employees at their cubicles; or in his office talking (with the door open; or in the cafeteria having coffee or a meal with employees.

I mean, I am sure he had closed-door meetings with other executives. And I am sure he sometimes had to answer or send an e-mail. But for the most part, he was MBWAing.

And his people would walk through fire for him.

My question is: Is MBWA still a viable strategy? Hybrid workforces, the time crunch most executives face, the creep of omnipresent technology that is so much EASIER to use than going to talk to someone. Have all these factors, and others, rendered MBWA impossible?

What do you think? I have some thoughts but would love to hear your opinions! Share your thoughts below in the comment section.