Say, you are forming a team for a cross-functional project. Or you need to invite few additional members beyond the core team for a leadership meet, be it for exposure or seeking new ideas from larger team.
Often, we see the same names appearing again and again. What’s behind it? – I call it the Visibility Trap.
Here’s how the Visibility trap plays out: An employee catches our attention because he or she has done some good work or brought in a new insight or shown special talent. We suggest the name for the new cross functional project. The person contributes well, makes us proud… and gets visibility.
So, next time we have to propose a member – pop comes up the same name… and thus starts the cycle.. same people getting nominated for key projects / meetings / assignments again and again.
This runs a risk, both for employees and the leaders / organization:
Employees who fall outside the trap feel ignored. Over time, they will start looking for green pastures.
It’s not helpful even for employees who fall in the cycle. They tend to get pulled more and more into several projects / work – leading to untenable stretch and stress.
Finally, leaders and organization are left with fewer people with deeper and wider exposure / experience
It’s human to fall into Visibility Trap – not to take chances when putting together a team for key project or an important task. It’s natural to include people whom we trust, who have contributed in the past.
It needs conscious effort to go beyond the obviousand continuously look for new people who can be included.
At the outset, I would like to thank you for stopping by my Blog.
I believe that there is nothing right or wrong in this world. What’s right in this moment and context may be wrong in another moment and context. This belief has inspired me to name my blog ‘Perspectives’.
Perspectives is a platform for me to share my experiences, thoughts and perspectives on various subjects. You may have a different point of view. I look forward to hearing them, these are the triggers for rich and deep conversations.
On personal front, I live in Mumbai, India. I love to read; Somerset Maugham and Nevil Shute are my favorite authors. My favorite books are The Razor’s Edge, Mrs. Craddock, Chequer Board and Gone with the Wind. I am thankful to my father who inculcated the habit of reading in me early on.
I am also passionate about traveling, I have been to most parts of India and to several countries across the globe.
On professional front, I work in Human Resources function. Over two and half decades, I have worked across multiple industries and cultures. I focus on Leadership Development, Talent Management, Visioning and Culture, Large-scale change, Employee Listening & Engagement, Employee Well-being, Inclusive work culture, HR effectiveness, Behavior and Mind-set shifts through sustained interventions
I currently lead Organization Effectiveness Function for Aditya Birla Group, a $44.3 billion conglomerate with 120000 employees across 35 countries.
I sincerely hope that you will enjoy reading my blog. I look forward to your thoughts and suggestions.
Thank you!
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Perspectives 