Some time ago I was having a conversation with someone who was generous enough to let me mentor them, and as part of our conversation we talked about visible leadership, as opposed to "behind-the-scenes"-type work.
Leadership, like many other people or organization management concerns, relies on communication. As such, there is an aspect of it that is performative - you have to do the communication to communicate. And because there is an element of authority and power that comes with leadership, it becomes fertile ground for weirdness. "It is not that power corrupts but that it is magnetic to the corrupt-able", to quote Frank Herbert.
This can introduce some measure discomfort for many people when they need to lead. That set of people includes myself, for what it's worth.
However, I have found with time that visible leadership is ultimately a necessary component of servant leadership, or really to fulfilling your potential if that's a way in which you can provide value. And so it should be done, and it should be done well.
Here are some great reasons to lean into it.
- Providing clarity and organization. Yes, you can do some of this behind the scenes or working with a minimal number of people. However, you will get better alignment when everyone knows what they're supposed to do and how they fit into the bigger picture, and they know that everyone else also knows this, and they know that they all know they all know. When done well, this will save time, conflict and surprises.
- Avoid having to re-build trust continuously. Leaning more on the visible side, managing your reputation doesn't need to be a self-serving activity. By clearly communicating what you're good at - and what you're not good at or not passionate about - you can save the time and effort and re-work of having to build trust anew as the circle of people you talk with grows. And the gulf between a low-trust and high-trust environment is immense, and so it's well worth the effort to be intentional here.
- Help you help others. At the end of the day, doing this well helps you support the goals towards which you're leading others. If you don't do this well, you're doing a dis-service to yourself as well as the people you're supposed to be helping succeed.
Happy professional development!
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management
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