To Be Seen

Oh, to be seen!

I’ve always had the luxury of coming home from work, opening the door, and getting an immediate and enthusiastic welcome from my wife and kids. My wife always won, but the kids were right there – greeting me like they hadn’t seen me in weeks. Every workday.

Then, years later, it was my dogs. And yes, my wife still beat them back to get to me. The kids, meh…

And now. No kids. And the dogs, well, meh…

Now Emmett, our almost 4-year-old grandson, and my wife race to welcome me. Yes, she lets him win, and yes, she’s still right behind him. We’re hoping this goes on a long time with many grandchildren yet to come.

The one common denominator is my wife. She always shows up. She makes me feel like the most important person in the room. And I know there are just two of us!

Oh, to be seen!

Have you ever been to a family event with a distant relative, a community event for the first time, or a business networking event? You walk in alone, not knowing anyone. You see the circles of people and the primal fear of not being accepted immediately spikes. How to breach the circle without that sense of being THE outsider.

Then someone sees you and nods. That’s all it takes. You’re in. You’re welcome. You’re accepted.

Oh, to be seen!

We need to do that more – be the one who nods. The one who offers what we all need when coming home, meeting a new group of people, or joining a new workplace – to be validated, accepted.

Do we do this when onboarding a new employee or client? Did we do this with our spouse, and are we still doing it?

We’re all leaders – we have influence, with or without the title. And if you’re an effective leader you’ll recognize and honor one of the greatest human needs.

To be seen.