Alison Reid, director of leader development and coaching at GIBS, refers to this brand of leadership presence as “showing up”.
There are great examples of this level of visibility among current and former leaders. GIBS’ own Dean, Prof. Morris Mthombeni, is known to pop into workshops and custom programme sessions – adding his energy and insights to critical discussions while tangibly demonstrating the value and regard in which he holds GIBS students, corporate clients, and stakeholders.
Herb Kelleher, the co-founder of Southwest Airlines in the US, was rarely in his office, but frequently lauded for getting the most out of his people. How did he do this? In The Fundamentals of Leadership, author Floyd Sheldon explained that Kelleher got stuck in with the rest of his employees. “It was common to find Herb Kelleher taking tickets, fuelling aircraft, and lifting bags into the belly of the airplanes,” he wrote.
This visible – hands-on – approach is also closely associated with South African business leaders such as Brian Joffe, the founder of Bidvest, and luxury hotel developer and operator Sol Kerzner. At Japanese carmaker Toyota, the philosophy of Genchi Genbutsu encourages leaders to go to the source and obtain information from first-hand observation and understanding, rather than relying on reports to inform decision-making, build consensus, and achieve goals.
All of these examples, explains Reid, reflect the act of physically and practically showing up “and of showing up at intersections where ‘work-value’ is being exchanged, as opposed to where executives operate, which can most often be a point far removed from where the hands-on work is done”.
As important as being physically at hand is, there are other ways that leaders can be more visible and more present, including by being emotionally, socially, and relationally available.
The many faces of ‘showing up’
Executive coach Aldrin “Buzz” Beyer, a GIBS professional associate and part of the adjunct faculty, explains that through the act of “showing up”, a leader does more than just present themselves physically. “It’s about being fully engaged, consistently visible, and deeply intentional in how you lead and relate,” he explains.
Australian executive coach Marie-Claire Ross wrote about visible leadership in her 2022 book Trusted To Thrive, which explores ways in which to create workplaces where people feel secure and connected. She defined seven visible leadership practices to help bridge the trust gaps and disconnections which many employees feel when it comes to their leaders. These are:
- Visibility of information: Keeping employees in the loop, by being as transparent as possible.
- Visibility around decision-making: Explaining how and why decisions were made, and inviting views and feedback.
- Visibility of priorities and accountabilities: Being open about new projects, planning and resourcing.
- Being a visible leader: Not just through meetings and one-on-one sessions but by being visible and approachable. “Employees love to see their leaders and have some form of interaction. Particularly leaders who are running big departments,” wrote Ross.
- Being visible with other leaders: Being seen to work together as a management or leadership team, to foster cohesion rather than fuelling uncertainty.
- Expecting visibility from employees: By having a visible presence as a leader – particularly in a world now dominated by online meetings and virtual engagements – it inspires others to be visible during work interactions and to make a contribution. Even if this just means turning on the camera during a Teams meeting.
- Visibility of commitment: Walking the talk and visibly living the shared values of the organisation.
Fostering trust through visibility, connection, and a shared future
Whether or not you follow Ross’s seven practices, or focus instead on achieving visibility physically, emotionally, socially, and in your relationships, the action of showing up consistently and authentically can deepen levels of trust between employees and their leaders. This, in turn, inspires more engagement and interaction, builds greater resilience into the organisation’s culture, and, in the process, makes strategy more executable.
As Beyer explains, “Showing up is how leadership becomes real – not through position, but through presence.”
Are you present, or playing a role?
Referencing American social psychologist Amy Cuddy’s book Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges, Beyer points to her insightful description of presence.
“Presence … is the state of being attuned to and able to comfortably express our true thoughts, feelings, values, and potential,” wrote Cuddy. “When we feel present, our speech, facial expressions, postures, and movements align. They synchronise and focus. And that internal convergence, that harmony, is palpable and resonant – because it’s real. It’s what makes us compelling. We are no longer fighting ourselves; we are being ourselves. Our search for presence isn’t about finding charisma or extraversion or carefully managing the impression we’re making on other people. It’s about the honest, powerful connection that we create internally, with ourselves.”
Expanding on this, Beyer adds that leaders can be seen to be “showing up” when they actively and genuinely care for people and try to help them grow and develop in tandem with achieving the goals of the organisation. They don’t just see people “as a means to an end”, stresses Beyer.
Although, he admits, this is an easy trap to fall into amid the day-to-day stress of running a business.
Watch out for potholes
Beyer explains that when leaders fail to manage their own capacity well, and become bogged down in operational demands, they have little time – or inclination – to work on improving the nuts and bolts of the system underpinning the business, for “working on the system, appreciating that the people in the system need to be nurtured for growth, meaning and fulfilment. Leaders are too busy solving upstream problems, firefighting, or trying to achieve key performance indicators that are creating undesirable behaviours and poor results,” says Beyer.
Another subtle but powerful reason some leaders struggle to show up is imposter syndrome, the internalised fear that they are not up to the role they are fulfilling.
“When leaders feel like they’re faking it, they tend to retreat behind busyness, bureaucracy, or bravado,” says Beyer. “They avoid the vulnerability of visibility, because showing up means being seen. The cost? Disconnection. They miss the opportunity to build trust, hear unfiltered insight from the frontlines, and model authentic presence. Over time, the gap between their role and their real influence grows.”
Overcoming this internal barrier to becoming a visible leader – one capable of being authentically present – requires a combination of building the inner alignment and psychological safety needed for leaders to engage with others more confidently, and without fear of exposure. It’s not just a case of boosting egos and learning how to mimic attention and engagement.
Engaging people meaningfully, rather than viewing the role of leadership through a functional lens of managing tasks and assessing performance, is another hurdle in the way of unlocking the power of presence. “When leaders become distant or inaccessible, they lose trust equity. Teams begin to feel unseen, which chips away at motivation, clarity, and psychological safety,” explains Beyer.
Less is more (when it's intentional)
When it comes to fostering the habits of a present and visible leader, Beyer warns that accessibility isn’t about being constantly available, but it does require being intentionally present.
“Leaders can start by building rhythms of presence into their weeks: walkabouts, open check-ins, unstructured time for team engagement. These actions don’t need to be dramatic; they need to be deliberate,” he says. “People feel it when you’re there to connect, not to control – so check in, don’t check up!”
If you are still in doubt, then touch base with your values and consider how to connect these more genuinely to your interactions. “If you really care, show it. Ask. Listen. Notice. And when you don’t have the time, be honest and schedule a moment when you do. Authenticity isn’t compromised by boundaries – it’s reinforced by clarity and care,” says Beyer.
“If you don’t care, then get out of leadership.”
What ‘showing up’ looks like
During his career as an executive coach Aldrin “Buzz” Beyer has come across his fair share of positive examples of visible leadership – and “showing up”.
“Visible leadership isn’t always about grand gestures,” he explains. “It’s about small, human signals that say: ‘You matter. I see you. I’m here.’”
Without naming names or sharing specifics, Beyer highlights two examples of what this could look like in practice:
- Taking time to connect: In this case a senior executive began scheduling 30-minute weekly “floor time” sessions. There was no agenda, no attendance was taken, it was just an opportunity to have informal conversations. “Over time, people opened up about breakdowns, bottlenecks, even new ideas – things they’d never raise in a formal meeting,” says Beyer. “People also opened up about their personal issues, which enabled the leader to show compassion.”
- Small, powerful gestures: This simple example involved a plant manager who made it a point to remember people’s birthdays. Then, on the big day, he would personally stop by to extend his good wishes. “It wasn’t performative, it was sincere rather than symbolic. It was consistent. And the culture shifted as a result,” says Beyer. “People started caring more about the outcomes because they felt seen and valued.”
Visible leadership takeaways
Be present, not just available
Showing up as a leader is not about attending every meeting or walking the floor – it’s about being fully attentive when it matters. This means listening actively, ensuring people feel heard, and actually wanting to engage.
Show up, don’t show off
Taking time to connect with staff informally, acknowledging milestones and struggles, and popping in to attend briefings or client meetings all demonstrate that a leader is part of the team, and not above the day-to-day operations of the business.
Be consistent
People will pick up if a leader is going through the motions or if their actions and words don’t align.
Create a psychologically safe space
When leaders show up authentically, they enable others to do the same. This builds more robust teams, more aligned organisations, and increases organisational health and harmony.
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