You Need To Be Visible

Scripture

“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others.” (Matthew 6:2)

Thought

It’s hard to find a strong, purposeful, leader who hides from their people.

I was driving the other day and stopped at a red-light. Beautiful weather so I had the windows down. At the intersection a group of construction workers were working hard on a project. A difficult project at that. The kind of work that will callous your hands and sweat your brow. They were in the midst of real struggle. Real work.

While waiting at the light, I overheard this group of teammates voice displeasure with who I assumed was their boss, “Mike.” They went on for most of the minute or so that I was stopped at the light but the loudest dialogue they shared was here:

“If it’s so important to him, why doesn’t he ever get out of the office and come out here and help us?!” (lots of expletives removed)

We’ve all worked for or been around an invisible leader - and it is a terrible experience.

A transformational leader can’t just call the shots from the office. They must be out in the field. Elbow to elbow, on the line in the middle of the project. Certainly not for every project and certainly not to overtake control of delegated tasks. It certainly matters how we approach leadership visibility. But we must be visible.

When a transactional, ego driven leader becomes visible they want to be served. They arrive late and only notice those who notice them. They announce their visibility as if it is a privilege to the group that the leader decided to join them. It becomes clear to everyone but the leader that they do not have a good sense of what is really going on, on the frontlines.

When a transformational leader becomes visible it is to serve and empower. To compliment and to gain trust. They arrive with a purpose. And they notice everyone in the room, from valuable star teammate, to the new hire with no experience. They announce their visibility with one goal: to serve. Their visibility isn’t to put on a show, it’s to understand better the problems and realities their people are encountering.

When there is a gap in communication - negativity fills it.

When there is a gap in visibility - distrust fills it.

No great team can thrive with negativity and distrust at the helm. The supreme goal of a transformational leader is to build trust, and they do so by being visible, never too removed from the realities of the people they are leading.

If we want to lead great teams we must be visible.

Call to Action

How can you be more visible to your team this week?