When I joined the RN, my Dad suggested I practice what he reckoned to have invented, MBWA - management by wandering around. As a Sub Lt he found 30 mins every day to go around the ship talking to the lads. He found out which teams they supported, heard about their new babies, girlfriend grief etc, just by stopping and listening.
He would often surprise their Divisional Officers by telling them things about their lads they didn't know. My Dad retired as a 1*, and 15 years later was still getting Christmas cards from retired POs and Chiefs he'd met 40+ years earlier.