Being “seen”
The best thing that a leader can do after taking the reins of an organization is to be seen. The imperative to be visible also forms the foundation for a set of behaviors that will maintain success throughout a leader’s tenure. As a resident training at Walter Reed in the eighties, I recall passing by the Deputy Commander of the hospital in the hallway once. And the only time that I saw the Commanding General was when I was summoned to his office to account for the misbehavior of some of my peers. It is unfortunate, because I missed opportunities to be inspired by these two great men. The fact that I can remember these chance meetings three decades later underscores the potential significance of every time a leader is seen.
Seen seeing.
Every leader must be “seen seeing.” Many leadership pundits call this “leadership by walking around.” It is amazing how much the leader can learn by seeing the workings of the organization. From a practical standpoint, spend an hour or two early every work-week walking around all of the areas of your responsibility. Talk to the people you meet. Get to know the people by their names. Ask them for suggestions of how things might be done better. Make sure that they have what they need. And towards the end of the work-week, try to dedicate the time to do it again. Show up in the areas during off hours. If you are in the hospital on a weekend, take a few moments to walk through the different areas unexpectedly. And certainly if there has been a problem: a difficult patient, a sudden patient death or deterioration, the leader must be there soon after. These are the equivalents of the medical “battle,” and the leader must be at the “con” during battle. The leader need not take control of the ship, but rather should support those who are in charge, whether things have gone well or not. And if there has been an error, the leader’s presence reminds that he stands alongside those who have erred as a support, and as the one who is ultimately responsible.
Seen listening.
Following closely after seeing, the leader must be “seen listening.” So many excellent executives defeat themselves by jumping into an organization with the enthusiasm of one who finally realizes the opportunity to lead, then ramrods several “new” ideas or projects against the better judgment of those who have been there for a season before them. These leaders would do better to be “seen listening” especially if the area, the organization or the people are completely new to them. The first months of the new position are best spent listening and attempting to understand the workings of the organization, before he attempts to move it. Patton said that an Army is like a piece of spaghetti: it must be pulled and not pushed. The rule is true of most organizations. People will not be pushed by a new leader before they have decided consciously or viscerally to follow them. And they will sooner follow someone whom they believe has listened to their concerns and ideas rather than one who has dreamed up his own.
Seen thinking.
The leader must also be “seen thinking” about what he or she has heard and seen. This may be a simple as the well-described conversational tool of repeating back to someone what you have seen or heard after they have demonstrated or discussed something with you. It shows that the leader is processing, and will use what he or she has learned to influence the decisions that must be made. Poisonous for the leader at this point it to wax anecdotal about his or her experience. “Story-swapping” is a different process and is an essential part of talking to others in an informal setting. But to lapse into a personal story (“when I was in training,” or “when I was in your shoes…”) may communicate to the listener that the leader is trapped in his own frame of reference, and thus is unable to understand the speaker in the context of his or her own.
Also be very wary of unsolicited advice or summary statements. Many people will come to the leader merely to “blow off steam;” to talk about how they feel about a situation or circumstance. A solution may not always be what is needed, and suggestions for a quick fix may communicate that the leader just wants the problem, and possibly the complainant to go away. Ptahhotep, an ancient Egyptian official during early 24th century BC understood the value of listening and thinking. He wrote, “Those who must listen to the pleas and cries of their people should do so patiently, because the people want attention to what they say even more than the accomplishing for which them came.” The leader must listen, watch and then think about what he or she has observed. And those being led must be able to see that process.
Seen doing.
Finally the leader must be “seen doing.” This means that the leader must assume shared risk with those he leads. If the mission calls for hardship or inconvenience, the leader must assume what measure of the hardship he can before asking anyone else to assume it. So whether it is night clinic or weekend call, the leader should put his name on the list first and even if unable to pitch in and help, the leader should be there. He must be understood to be one who is willing and in many cases even able to do any of the tasks he asks those in the organization to do. In a career as a pediatrician, this has meant a willingness to change a baby’s diapers on the ward, clean up the treatment room after a procedure, get the form or the chart yourself, pick up the extra patient in the clinic. Such efforts need be measured, because of limited time and resources. But these acts can be more than symbolic. They demonstrate that the leader does not think him or herself above the very activities he or she is challenging the organization to do.
Leadership is theater. There are some parts and roles to play which are unpleasant and challenging. But there is also no doubt that the satisfaction of being in the role far outweighs any negative factor. General Patton was right when he connected the leader’s role to the leader’s attitude and actions: “It appears that a leader must be an actor, and such is a fact. But he is unconvincing unless he lives the part.”
Chuck Callahan Henry V 4.3 – Lead from the Front https://henryv43.wordpress.com/
Henry V 4.3 
Great perspective! I would also add “seen caring”. Leaders must clearly show they care; for their colleagues and for the organization. I perceive many leaders think they care but their colleagues don’t really know whether their leader cares because they don’t see acts of caring occuring. Leaders must show they care. Demonstrating a caring attitude is easy. Listen, greet people warmly, listen some more, give people meaningful work, communicate clearly, apologize when necessary, etc. Don’t create a situation whereby your colleagues don’t know whether you care or not.
I would add “seen with humility”… Samuel Tilden once stated, “It is said that it is far more difficult to hold and maintain leadership than it is to attain it. Success is a ruthless competitor for it flatters and nourishes our weaknesses and lulls us into complacency. We bask in the sunshine of accomplishment and lose the spirit of humility which helps us visualize all the factors which have contributed to our success. We are apt to forget that we are only one of a team, that in unity there is strength and that we are strong only as long as each unit in our organization functions with precision.” Whether we are leading or being led, a professor or a student, a CEO or a new resident, practicing the art of humility will keep us grounded and help us become better leaders for a much needed better tomorrow!!
Thank you Dr. Perez.
I have been thinking lately about the foundational principles of leadership – the things that define “who we are” as leaders rather than values, the “how we live” and virtues, the visible manifestations of principles and values. If I had to define these foundations, I would argue that they include humility along with honor, integrity and faith (the latter being the ability to believe and communicate that belief in something that is bigger than oneself.) I have come to the conclusion as I have gotten older that the most important thing that I do to gain insight into myself and to better see the nuances of my own perspective is to listen to the perspective of others. And that takes humility. Luckily, I also have teenage and young adult children who also help to keep me humble!