OfficeAllergy

The wisest leaders I have observed somehow manage to be in their office minimally. Instead, they continually move about the various work spaces of the organization. It's almost as if they're allergic to the office.

There is method to that madness, it seems. Some of the benefits of "the boss" going on relentless walkabouts instead of being caged up in the office is that they...

• Interface with a LOT of their internal customers (and even some of the external ones).
• LEARN a great deal about processes, procedures, workflow, customer service, etc.
• Ask questions of the troops, giving all of them "voice," and listen carefully to the answers.
• Model what authentic engagement looks like.
• Acknowledge and praise good work, in person.
• Get a firsthand view of the bottlenecks and pain points. 

Those that hole up in their offices often learn that they become prisoners of their offices.