The View from the Office.

I met up with Gabi Wals to go for a walk in Central Park. We didn’t stop to eat anything.

It felt appropriate since we first met a few weeks ago doing a 24-hour charity walk organized by Adriaan Kolff called 24 The Planet.

Gabi works in HR at Lab49, a tech consulting firm that builds applications for Wall Street trading firms. She’s from Holland and moved to New York with her husband a year ago.

Gabi said she’s been doing walking meetings for years. She started when working for Unilever in Rotterdam and wanted to engineer a way to get out from behind her desk where she found herself staring at a screen all day.

She tries to get in several walks a week with colleagues, friends and other people she is meeting to network. Since her office is in midtown, most of the walks end up in Central Park which reminds her of being in the countryside.

The walking meeting seems like something that is getting more and more traction. Steve Jobs was famous for walking around Cupertino with clients and people he wanted to woo to come work for him.

Gabi said walking helps her clear her head and keeps her curious. She makes it a habit not to stick to a defined route. She said that as long as she gets back within the hour she can wander wherever.

One benefit is there is always an opportunity for discovery. I showed her a rock outcropping just off the main path which has become a place people congregate to watch the sunset. She had walked by countless times, but never noticed it.

Gabi said she enjoyed meeting other people who work in HR to share notes because it is important to stay on top of new trends in the field.

She said a strong HR group can spur growth and innovation. “You can do amazing things but only if the foundation is solid and teams aren’t constantly putting out fires.”

If you like to walk you can connect with Gabi on LinkedIn or DM me for an intro.