Unseen Work in Leadership

Leadership looks different from the outside.

From the outside, it’s strategy decks. Big moves. Team calls.

From the inside, that’s not the most important thing you’ll do.

It’s solving problems before they exist.

Spotting the tension before it spreads.

No one claps for the fire you prevented.

Because there was no fire.

But that’s the point.

We glorify quick reactions. Crisis-mode leaders.

And yes, reacting well matters. It’s important.

But if you could avoid the moment altogether, why wouldn’t you?

Most people only see what went wrong.

But leaders have to see what could go wrong.

It means changing how a team operates, six months before it becomes the bottleneck.

Carving out a growth path, before someone has to ask.

And when it works?

There’s no applause.

The work is invisible by design.

If you did it right, the crisis never happened.

It’s thankless. It’s slow.

Just like the best CX teams; the ones you don’t hear about.

That’s the sign that the system is working.

But if your CX team is pulling a rabbit out of the hat often, it means you’ve left your CX team with too much to do. And ironically, that’s what gets celebrated. While I would be petrified. Because that means a storm is already here. And no one knows it.

If you only show up for the work that’s seen, you’re not leading.

You’re reacting. I’d argue, performing.

Leadership is built in the quiet.

In the long view.

In the moves that no one notices, but everyone benefits from.

That’s the real weight of leadership. The unseen part.

And the best leaders carry it without a fuss. Without needing the spotlight.