Management By Walking Around

Yesterday I received the best compliment from a co-worker, and it is why I love what I do. I was working with a newly promoted Coach and teaching the basics of the job: scheduling, daily work planning; and what Walmart calls MBWA—Management By Walking Around.

After a few hours working with her, she looked at me and said “Thank you for taking the time to show me these things. No One has ever done that for me.”

Too many times in my career, I have seen new managers fail because we failed to take the time to teach the basics. Turnover in the retail sector has always been higher than other segments. Now, its much worse because of inflation and the increased competition for talent. People will not stay where they are not appreciated. They will go somewhere else and often times it is not because of money, it is because they don’t feel appreciated. Or, in many cases, they leave because they feel they were thrown into the fire, covered in oil, and without a fire extinguisher.

When I help companies with their training needs, I take the time to do it right. Many companies are tightening costs to make the bottom line. The one place they cannot afford to cut costs is in training. Lack of training, or poor over site on training leads to turnover and that costs much more than training the right way. Well trained employees are retained employees. Retained employees will increase the bottom line through increased productivity and customer service. Increased productivity and service increase sales, and ultimately, the bottom line.

Companies with a commitment to training are companies that grow. Companies that don’t train stagnate or even die.