07 Oct The Best Leaders Leave the Office
Over the years, I’ve met leaders with impressive qualifications, exceptional technical knowledge and strong commercial track records.
Those things matter.
But they are rarely the qualities that determine whether people genuinely want to follow them.
The best leaders are curious.
They take time to understand the people doing the work.
I was speaking with an employee whose CEO had been in post for more than a year. The organisation employed around 150 people, yet many employees had never met them.
When I asked why this had become such a talking point, the answer was surprisingly simple.
After more than a year in the role, the CEO had never taken the time to come and introduce themselves.
That struck me.
Not because every employee needs regular contact with the CEO, but because showing an interest in the people who make a business successful should never feel optional.
People notice when leaders take the time to visit sites, ask questions and understand what their teams do.
They also notice when they don’t.
Curiosity Matters
A second experience reinforced the same point.
Several years ago, we were supporting a client with the creation of a new leadership team.
During the search process, a competitor’s CEO became aware that some of their employees were being approached.
Using a different name, the CEO contacted one of my researchers, claiming to be an experienced operational manager.
After spending around an hour on the phone with him, my researcher came back to me with concerns about his practical and technical understanding of the role he claimed to perform.
A follow-up call was arranged and, when I dialled the number at the agreed time, the CEO’s name immediately appeared on my phone.
I initially asked for the individual whose name had been provided before revealing that I knew exactly who I was speaking to.
We had a laugh about it before I asked whether he would like to hear my researcher’s notes.
He was genuinely surprised.
The feedback wasn’t about personality or communication style.
It was that his lack of operational and technical knowledge had become apparent during the discussion.
What struck me most was not that he had contacted us.
It was that, whilst presenting himself as an experienced manager from within his own business, he appeared to know remarkably little about the practical realities of the role.
Two very different situations.
One common theme.
Leaders who had become disconnected from the people responsible for delivering the work.
Why Visibility Matters
The best leaders do the opposite.
They ask questions.
They spend time with their teams.
They seek to understand how the business really operates.
Technical expertise can open doors.
Commercial experience can create opportunities.
But leadership is ultimately about people.
Final Thoughts
The strongest leaders I’ve encountered share one common trait.
They are genuinely interested in the people who make their businesses successful.
They leave the office.
They visit sites.
They ask questions.
They listen.
They understand what people actually do.
Too many leaders try to lead from a distance, relying on reports, dashboards and second-hand information. The best leaders do the opposite. They spend time with the people closest to the work.
Leadership is not exercised from behind a spreadsheet.
It is earned through visibility, curiosity and a genuine interest in others.
The most effective leaders don’t sit above their organisations.
They serve them.
Leadership begins with understanding the people who make success possible.