The Art of Invisible Leadership
We have all seen the conference-circuit headliners who are billed as “charismatic,” “inspirational,” and “aggressive” leaders. I’ve never been clear how many leaders might actually possess all these characteristics, but even if some do, I’m not so sure these traits really make for good leadership. Rather than leading, such “leaders” instead tend to fill up space and hog the stage. Under the klieg lights, they may look good to some, but in my experience, they and their leadership style can have a negative impact on individual and collective performance, whether in a congregation or other organization.
The mark of a true leader, a friend once said, is that you never notice him or her. Contrary to our conference circuit headliners, real leadership is invisible. Indeed, as the director of a large government agency told me, the exercise of visible leadership can often be a sign of failure. Whenever this agency director had to resort to an overt use of his position, power and authority, he realized he had failed in some substantial way. As the Tao te Ching, that 1000-year-old classic work of Chinese wisdom, put it: “When a good leader is finished, the people think they did it themselves.”
Invisible leadership involves the subtle art of seemingly doing nothing, while being fully present, and totally invisible. One of the most difficult lessons I have learned in my work with various groups is to resist the temptation to intervene and “save” the situation whenever the group or a few of its members begin to struggle. More often than not, the better way for me is to be comfortable with the chaos and messiness, even when others are not, and to trust the group to work it out apart from me—or at least with as little of me (my active intervention and my words) as possible. To do that, of course, requires experience and maybe a little insanity. It may not even be possible for anybody to ever be totally present and absolutely invisible, but it is not a bad goal for a leader to pursue. Such leadership can create a lot of space in which good things can happen.
“Invisible” leadership builds or cultivates healthy organisms and institutions because when the work is done, people can say “we did it ourselves.” With invisible leadership, the people take responsibility for their work and their accomplishments. For the “headliner” leader, gratification comes from the thrill of the spotlight and the applause. But the invisible leader finds gratification and even joy in helping to create an environment that empowers people and the organization to learn and grow. A leader who can stay out of the way is uncommon. Yet invisible leaders have built or nurtured many great congregations and other organizations.
While reflecting on this topic of invisible leadership a few months ago, I remembered one of my favorite books on leadership, John Heider’s The Tao of Leadership (1985). I hadn't read it in years but picked it up and soon found that I could not put it down. Reading and re-reading until I finished the whole book, I came across gems that confirmed my thoughts about invisible leadership. A sampling:
#17 Being a Midwife.
“The wise leader does not intervene unnecessarily. The leader’s presence is felt, but often the group runs itself....Imagine that you are a midwife; you are assisting at someone else’s birth. Do good without show or fuss. Facilitate what is happening rather than what you think ought to be happening...When the baby is born, the mother will rightly say, ‘We did it ourselves!’”
#37 Doing Little.
“It puzzles people at first, to see how little the able leader actually does, and yet how much gets done. But the leader knows that is how things work. After all, Tao does nothing at all, yet everything gets done. When the leader gets too busy, the time has come to return to selfless silence. Selflessness gives one center. Center creates order. When there is order, there is little to do.”
#46. Nothing to Win.
“...The wise leader knows that it is far more important to be content with what is actually happening than to get upset over what might be happening but isn't.”
#57. Doing Less and Being More.
“...When the leader practices silence, the group remains focused. When the leader does not impose rules, the group discovers its own goodness. When the leader acts unselfishly, the group simply does what is to be done. Good leadership consists of doing less and being more.”
In the Tao te Ching, I found other support for the notion of invisible leadership:
“A leader is best when people barely know he exists, not so good when people obey and acclaim him, worse when they despise him....But of a good leader who talks little when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say, ‘We did it ourselves.’” - Lao Tzu
And finally, another quote, which offers a vivid and humorous reminder that leaders should stay humble and grounded:
“There is no such thing as a perfect leader either in the past or present. If there is one, he is only pretending, like a pig inserting scallions into its nose in an effort to look like an elephant.” - Liu Shao-ch'i
Even with the insight of such ancient wisdom, however, the notion of “invisible” leadership leaves many people today nervous. Leaders, the modern mind contends, have to be visible, don’t they? So for those people, maybe we should reframe the notion. Maybe “invisible leadership” isn’t so much about being invisible as it is being visible in a way that invites freedom, expression, engagement, and connection. Hopefully, when I am leading a group, the members can depend on me to show up in just this way, fully present but somewhat invisible.
Either way, real leadership is not about dominance and control. Though those traits may be part of the lexicon of modern management, let’s don’t associate them with leadership. Instead, let’s reserve the word “leader” to mean invitation, not imposition. Time and again, in my world lately, I have witnessed the good news that happens when a community, an organization, or a congregation begins to have an honest relationship with freedom and trust. When that happens, it talks less and less about leadership, power, rules and policies.
It takes experience and trust to be an invisible leader or a leader who is present in a different way, one focused on doing less for the group and being more. Like a fine wine, maybe invisible leadership requires time and aging. Maybe the art is making leadership look like there is no art.
But how does an invisible leader lead? How can she or he make an impact and change the system? The power and impact of the invisible leader may not be seen, but it is surely felt by the system. Though it may sound selfless, invisible leadership is actually anything but. Indeed, it may actually be an extremely evolved form of selfishness. An invisible leader is selfish about the purpose and joy of building others and allowing them space and opportunity to grow.
To me, encouraging the growth of others sounds like a Christ-like concept. When I think about Jesus, or at least the testaments we have of him, does he model invisible leadership? Maybe he embodies invisible leadership so artfully that we cannot even see it?
Shalom!
Dr. W. Craig Gilliam is director of The Center for Pastoral Effectiveness for the Louisiana Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church.
