Leaders underestimate their impact in showing up. Why? I find most leaders do not see themselves as special. They see themselves as being the same as others.
A highlight of my career was working with the Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Floyd (Fred) Loop, the CEO of the Cleveland Clinic Foundation (CCF) at the time, hired my company. (Dr. Loop is no longer with us physically; however, his impact lives on.) He referred to the work as “providing world-class care.”
Dr. Loop was a private person. For the kickoff of the engagement session, a daylong event that included presentations from me and others, he had hundreds of people attend. Dr. Loop sat in the front row for the entire day. At the end of the session, a common message from the attendees was that they knew this was serious because Dr. Loop stayed the entire time. Presence makes a statement.
Never underestimate the difference your presence makes. I read an article about a successful organization. The writer interviewed some of the employees. The questions were around how they liked working for the organization, and particularly their thoughts on the CEO. While the CEO does many exceptional things and many difficult actions, those were not mentioned. What was mentioned was that the CEO shows up on the night shift to see how they are doing, and that the CEO eats in the cafeteria with the staff.
People listen to what we say. What’s more impactful is what we do.
A few tips on showing up:
1. Don’t accept special treatment. Often someone in leadership, especially the very top, will be offered the option to cut in line in the cafeteria or to park in a spot close to the entry. Be careful.
When I was a senior leader at an organization, the fluorescent lights were flickering in my office. Naturally, I let Facilities know. Someone came right away and changed out the lights. A few days later, I learned that some nurses were not pleased with me. The Facilities person had been in their unit getting ready to fix something when he received a call saying my lights were flickering. He said he needed to leave to fix the lights in my office. The nurses’ comment was, “Didn’t he say the patients come first?” I learned a lesson. From then on, the message was to put me in the queue and not cut in front of others.
2. Notes count. A person cannot physically be present as much as they want. However, presence can happen in many ways. A letter makes an impact. A letter or card sent to an employee or their family member can have a huge impact. It will be kept for an exceptionally long time. I could author a book on the stories I hear from people on the difference a note makes.
3. Pick up the phone and call when you can. In the world of text and what I call transactional messages, a call is a powerful personal touch.
I understand that it is hard to imagine your presence makes a big impact, but it does.
Thank you for being present in my life.
