Some of my favourite initiatives were ones whereby no one noticed the end result.
In other words, my invisible accomplishments.
That said, a few key people were aware including my supervisor.
We all know that people are averse to change.
Imagine an initiative that is done so subtly, without great fanfare, one that organically gets buy-in that no one notices when complete.
Imagine an initiative that forecasts a problem in advance of it occurring and then action is taken to ensure it does not happen.
This action can be something that is completely new and is considered logical, simple, yet familiar thus reducing resistance.
As such, this might not even be seen as change at all.
This type of leadership is common with individuals that are very capable yet not always looking for fanfare and attention.
The downside is these individuals may go unnoticed and even unrecognised.
Conversely, the leaders that make a lot of noise, look as if they are doing a lot, talking a good talk, might get noticed more and even rewarded by inexperienced leaders above them.
The lesson here is to look for leaders who are not making a lot of noise that have consistent results with good client and staff interactions.
Engage them and ask them about how they get ahead of problems and ask them to share any invisible accomplishments they might have.
If you like what you hear, don’t forget to recognize their efforts even if you do it subtly, these are individuals well worth having on your team.