Walking is Great Exercise, and It’s Free!

We recently traveled to Rome for a vacation.  Rome has a decent metro, not nearly as comprehensive as Washington, DC or Paris, but it is adequate, or so I am told.  We never took the metro our entire four days in Rome. Rather we chose to walk the city, and in doing so we learned so much.  If you take the metro, it gets you from place to place but you miss out on quite a bit.

The sites were not necessarily within walking distance, but we walked.  Along the way we met people, sat in cafes and watched people, and learned a lot about Rome and Romans.  In fact, we hooked up with the Free Rome Tours by simply seeing a tee shirt, and asking a question.  This is what they say on their web site: “…free tours are working to give you a better way to see the eternal city.” 

Colosseum

How do you arrive at your workplace, and I don’t mean did you drive, carpool, or take public transportation.  But I do want you to process your activities once you enter the building. When you arrive, do you  take the elevator, go immediately to your office, and quickly get immersed in your workload? 

What if you chose a different arrival pattern?  What if you decided to stop and talk to co-workers or employees along the way?  And when you got to your office, you left the door open rather than shutting it and everyone out?  What if, for all intents and purposes, you didn’t take the metro to your office, but you actually walked and talked your way to your office?  What might you learn about the activities, and the people who work with you or for you?  What if?????

Call it “free tours” or call it MBWA.  I touched on the value of Management by Walking Around in my previous blog.  But our experience in Rome really brought it home for me.  We learned so much just by walking the city that I immediately saw the connection to the work environment.  It’s your world, your business world, and you don’t need a consultant to help you learn about your employees’ feelings, about your employees’ ideas.

Start listening and talking to the locals!  It’s all free!  Walk around, see the sites, visit the coffee station, the copy station, visit the cafeteria, and consider listening while waiting at the elevator. Imagine what you might learn!   

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surveys

Where is the best place to learn what’s going on at work?  Cafeteria, coffee station, hallways, elevators, restrooms!  Or maybe its Twitter, Facebook, or other social communities.  I’m curious about your world.  Tell me what it’s like where you work.  Write your thoughts in the reply box below as we build our community on this topic!

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Eileen Weisman is a communication strategist, a good listener, enjoys walking around, a recycling expert, a dog lover, and a mother of the bride.  Contact The W Group to discuss opportunities for improving the listening environment within your company or organization.