It is one of the most common requests in the business world. Managers and directors regularly hear this comment during performance reviews. It sounds straightforward, but in practice it often leaves people confused. Because what does it actually mean?
What exactly is wrong with the current situation? What is the intention? Does it literally mean showing your face more often on the shop floor, or is it about something more abstract: that your presence needs to be more noticeable? To whom, then? And for what purpose?
The problem with this kind of management jargon is that conversations get stuck because we mean different things by the same word. It’s similar to the comment that someone ‘needs to show more respect’. Only when the conversation becomes concrete (What exactly are you missing? What would you like to see done differently?) does the word take on meaning. It’s no different with the call for visibility.
Visibility is often immediately associated with physical presence. How you sit at a meeting table, how you look, whether you literally take up space or make yourself (in)visible as you walk through the building, or how you address a group.
“I’ve been walking around on purpose all this time, I make a point of meeting people in the canteen – what else am I supposed to do!?” is a common initial reaction.
But physical presence is only part of how someone positions themselves within the bigger picture. That visibility starts from within. Beneath the surface, there are often underlying beliefs about how much space someone is allowed to take up, how visible you should make yourself, or what good leadership actually is. For example, that modesty is more important than providing direction, or that expressing a strong opinion mainly causes tension. When such beliefs come into play, simply being more visibly present usually doesn’t help.
True visibility is primarily about the extent to which someone radiates calm, direction and conviction.
Ultimately, people do not just want to see a leader, but to feel someone who embodies the organisation’s purpose. Someone whose words, choices and behaviour are consistent provides trust, clarity and a sense of security.
In many cases, “being more visible” is therefore really just an awkward way of saying: “Let us know what you stand for.”
People want to know how someone views a complex situation, what direction they have in mind, and whether their words and behaviour are in balance. Visibility arises when leadership is authentic from within. When someone is connected to what they stand for, can articulate it, and dares to be visible in that regard. People sense it when vision, conviction, behaviour and purpose are aligned.
That is what makes someone visible, credible and a guiding force for others. In short, true visibility is a reflection of who you are.
