“Be about actions, not distractions.”
It is a leader’s job to check on their people. This writing comes as I’m thinking about the topic of battlefield or office circulation. Here is a previous blog about that. Battlefield or office circulation occurs to ensure intent is being met, determine if resources are needed, and get a grassroots perspective. Good leaders conduct circulation. Bad leaders avoid it and pay the price.
I’m all for circulation. I know of its importance and I just love being with my people. However, I know I can be a distraction. An informative article and study on interruptions by the University of California (UC) Berkley shares, “…interruptions kill our momentum. When we start again on our task, we can’t simply pick up where we left off, we have to reorient ourselves, re-immerse, and re-gain our momentum. The length of our recovery time depends on the complexity of our task; ranging anywhere from 8 minutes for simpler tasks to 25 minutes for more complex ones.”
This is something to consider as you visit with your people whatever the purpose. A former boss of mine said of U.S. Army Brigade Command (CEO of a large organization), “If you find yourself at your desk feeling guilty you are not out visiting troops and sharing in their hardship, you probably have it about right.” This pearl of advice spoke to the role of the senior commander – to work on the up and out, meaning engaging with higher headquarters and other stakeholders to ensure your organization had what it needed and to be aligned strategically, instead of muddy with the troops. There were indeed times for getting muddy, but the depth and quality of experienced leadership in an Army Brigade was sufficient to ensure tough, relevant training. The arrival and presence of the Brigade Commander could disrupt things.
When I visited troops, subordinate leaders would shift their focus to me to ensure I was at the right place and time to see training and that I was aware of what a unit was doing. There were plenty of times I wanted this. It was my battlefield circulation duty. However, I needed to be judicious and selective visiting the troops due to the distraction and disruption I might cause.
I don’t want to discourage battlefield or office circulation. It is an essential obligation of leaders and this blog is not permission to ignore your people. I do, however, want to help leaders prevent the disruption they may cause with their presence and their inquiries. Here are four tips…
Read the rest here.
