I heard a very interesting story the other day. A CEO was accompanying the CEO of Walmart to a Saturday board meeting. They arrived early and the Walmart CEO asked if he could excuse himself and make a few calls.

What the other CEO heard was the head of Walmart getting on the phone and calling individual store managers to find out how it was going in the field.

That is a great story that reinforces a few key leadership lessons for me:

• The power of being there: Getting it straight from the field is key for leaders. The higher up you get, the more filters the information travels through. Getting out with the field provides context that is invaluable.
• The power of contact: I can only imagine how those store managers felt after speaking with the CEO. They must have been walking on cloud nine. I still remember the email of congratulations that I received from Michael Dell more than a decade ago congratulating me on closing one of Dell’s first big server deals (He used a smiley face which made me laugh). People like to be recognized for their great work.

A good leadership lesson.