Manage Smarter 115 — Tom Peters: Walk Around Managing When There's No Office to Walk Around In

HOSTED BY C. LEE SMITH AND AUDREY STRONG
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Tom Peters is co-​author of In Search of Excellence — the book that changed the way the world does business and often tagged as the best business book ever. Over the past three decades, he has authored 17 influential books on leadership and excellence in the workplace. His latest book is The Excellence Dividend — which we discussed in Episode 19.

Peters is known for his concept of "managing by wandering around" and his relentless focus on putting people first in business strategies. His contributions to the field have earned him the prestigious Thinkers 50 Lifetime Achievement Award.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to remote meeting platform strain caused by more people working from home than ever, there is some audio dropout throughout this recording.

In this episode, Audrey, Lee and Tom Peters discuss:

  • Empathy During Crisis Management: Reflecting on the ongoing Coronavirus crisis, Tom stressed the necessity for leaders to prioritize empathy and support for their teams. He criticized executives who fail to protect their employees during tough times, suggesting that real leadership involves sacrificing for the well-​being of the team.
  • Adapting Management Styles in Remote Work Environments: Tom Peters emphasized that "managing by wandering around" (MBWA), a concept he popularized, should be seen more as a metaphor in remote work contexts. It's about maintaining an attitude of engagement and intimacy, not necessarily the physical act of walking around.
  • Importance of Emotional Intelligence (EQ) in Leadership: Tom highlighted the critical role of EQ in leadership, especially in remote settings where understanding and connecting with team members becomes more challenging yet essential. He argued that EQ should be a primary consideration in hiring and promoting leaders.
  • Human Touch in Communication: Tom criticized reliance on impersonal communication methods like texting and emailing in management. He championed the use of voice or direct phone calls, which convey more emotional nuance and help foster better relationships and understanding.
  • Creating Value Over Profit in Business: Tom argued that businesses should focus on creating value and serving others rather than just making profits. Especially in crisis situations, leaders should step up to support and protect their employees and stakeholders.

"If you are a CEO sitting with stock options up the kazoo — and you’ve got a bank account of 170 million dollars — and if you lay front line people off (during a worldwide crisis), you are a first-​class lifelong SOB in my book."

– Tom Peters

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