Strategy #28: Be visible

When Judy Rich became Chief Operating Officer of the Tucson Medical Center, she instituted a practice that she called “feet on the street.”  She said that she wanted her managers to be out and about in the organization. Therefore, there were to be no management meetings before ten in the morning. Managers were to have their feet on the street, making rounds, managing by walking around, speaking and listening.

Being visible is a great way to promote loyalty – perhaps the greatest strategy of all. Whether you are talking about employee loyalty or customer loyalty, there is simply no substitute for speaking with somebody face-to-face, on their own turf. Especially in today’s high-tech world, when we have so many electronic substitutes for in-person communication, the discipline of getting out of the office and wandering around can be a great source of competitive differentiation in the job market.

A great idea:  Every night before you leave work, take out your calendar and block out a chunk of time for getting your feet out there on the street. Write down where you plan to go, who you most want to see, and the message that you want to convey.

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