The new General Manager at REJIS started today.  During our all employee meeting where we got to hear first hand from our new top leader he let us know that we would see him at least 2 times a week circulating amongst the cubes.  Amidst many other things, like a specialty in organizational change, I thought this was pretty interesting.

I have never served under an executive leader who follows management by walking around (MBWA) so this will be a new experience.  Hopefully it leads to some good interactions and helps all the employees adjust to a new executive.  I'll also be interested to see if this leads to a better feeling of transparency.  One thing I notice there (and I think this is true of many organizations) is that it is very easy for people to feel like there is some big thing they are not part of.  In my two years that has never been the case.

Another practice we'll see with our new GM is similar to what our IT director does: regular meetings with selected groups where any question or discussion goes.  In the past this included questions as direct as "What if you don't get the GM position?" (which our IT director didn't; our new GM is a complete outsider to the organization, none of the internal candidates were selected) and "Can we get better hardware for developers?"  The last question has resulted in trials with dual monitors as well as 22-inch wide screens.  As the budget allows developers will get upgrades based on their preference.  Its not everything we asked for but I think it's a great start!

Having survived executive leadership changes at my previous employer I have been through the turmoil and fear that arises.  After meeting our new GM I am hopeful for things to come and will work on keeping a positive outlook and, as always, trying to be less easily bothered.