Leadership Reflections – Management by Walking Around

As you saw in our Weekly EHS Report this past Monday, our Learning and Development Team has created a video demonstrating the Management by Walking Around “MBWA” in collaboration with our partner, Paul Balmert. A huge thanks to the site team, led by Superintendent, Andrew Sims, that participated in this video! I’m also pleased to share some thoughts on the process directly from our frontline, see below.

From Superintendent, Andrew Sims:

“I use the Management by Walking Around process daily to mentor my team members and offer outside perspective on certain tasks that can sometimes be challenging, or even those that are routine and can feel repetitive. An extra set of eyes from someone who isn’t physically performing a task can often be beneficial to the project. I believe this is one of the strongest management tools that a leader can utilize. MBWA helps me connect with my team if they are facing something difficult. They know that I’m never too far away, which makes me easier to approach and connect with. It helps me communicate job priorities because we see each other often, which allows us to share thoughts and ideas that can help streamline and prioritize outage milestones. Finally, it helps ensure safety and quality because my team knows they will be held accountable for their actions.”

MBWA Video:

https://ge.box.com/s/6ugw0h3z1siih2z943ont5iq6x339ylp

A final note from me – when we do MBWA, the purpose of management by walking around is not simply to look, but to engage. So, for each MBWA, we should also be doing SORRY PLUS and SORRY MINUS. Paul’s wisdom is that we should praise more often than correct, with a goal of four (4) SORRY PLUS for every one (1) SORRY MINUS.

We appreciate your leadership and commitment to our APM teams in the field. Let us know how this tool is helping. Stay safe!

-Jake