Leadership Sits on the Right Side of Accountability and Visibility

There are endless attempts to define leadership down to a single sentence. Some definitions are pretty clever, but most share the same flaw – they reinforce the perception that leadership is all about high-profile decisions, seminal moments and a latest and greatest TED talk that quickly gets shared around the office.

Leadership is more nuanced than that and based on a series of seemingly modest decisions that get made over time. In fact, true leadership is often as subtle and indiscernible as a lack thereof. How can that be? Because we’ve created a mystique around leaders that they are as bold, brash and visible as Elon Musk, Steve Jobs and the like. They make for a good show but are not the only leadership manifests. In fact, they are the exception and should remain that way.

It has long been my belief that true leadership stems from an understanding of and comfort with the greatest levels of accountability and the lowest expectations of visibility. What does that look like when we take it out of principle and put it into practice? 

A leader is always accountable for the performance of the team they manage. A good leader accepts that no matter which side of the spectrum the performance lands – whether they played an active/hands-on role or not. A true leader will step aside to let the team enjoy the spotlight when it shines and place themselves firmly in the crosshairs when it doesn’t.

Leadership shouldn’t be defined by a single set of words or a moment in time. Leadership is an attitude that permeates everything a person does. It shapes how they act when things are good and (more importantly) when they are not. A leader never loses sight of the fact that every decision is about the team and every situation – good or bad – is about their growth.

Leaders quickly put themselves on the front lines when needed most and will gladly watch from the sidelines when needed least.

Scott Gelber is president of Merkley