You Don’t Really Know How Your People Are Performing

You see the reports. The dashboards. The ratings.

Maybe a few names get mentioned in leadership meetings.

But there are people on your team doing work that holds the business together-  and you don’t even know who they are.

At the same time, others have mastered the corporate stage. They know how to stay visible. They manage optics, build alliances, and speak the language that keeps them safe.

They play the game. 

The quiet performers hold the line.

This isn’t random. It’s systemic. And during transformation, it becomes dangerous.

 The Silent Drift 

Transformation should sharpen performance standards. 

Too often, it blurs them.

When uncertainty hits -  layoffs, restructures, new leaders - visibility becomes a shield.

Those who know how to stay seen, stay safe.

Those who focus on delivery fade into the background.

That’s how real performers disappear. They don’t perform for show.

When leaders don’t know their people by name, reports replace relationships. Metrics replace meaning. And popularity starts to feel like performance.

 The Popularity Trap

You’ve seen it before. 

A transformation starts. Roles tighten. Suddenly collaboration turns into competition.

Decisions get political.

Who’s in the right circle.

Who speaks the right way. Who has the right sponsor.

And the ones who rise aren’t always the ones driving results. 

They’re the ones who’ve learned how to survive.

That’s when culture starts rewarding comfort over courage.

And the organization loses what actually fuels transformation: truth.

 THE COST OF illusion

When perception replaces performance, the cost is real:

• Good people stop speaking up.

• Innovation slows because ideas are filtered through fear.

• Mediocrity hides behind polished language and “leadership presence.”

Leaders who confuse activity for impact lose trust, talent, and the ability to execute real change.

That’s not a visibility problem- it’s an attention problem.

 The Wake-Up Call

If you’re leading through change, ask yourself:

1. Who is doing critical work that I’ve never recognized personally?

If you can’t answer, you’re leading from distance. Close the gap.

2. Who’s always visible but rarely accountable?

 Visibility without delivery is theater. Transformation doesn’t need actors.

3. What systems reward perception over performance?

   Your promotions and recognition patterns tell the story of what your culture truly values.

Leadership isn’t about watching performance. It’s about knowing it. 

And you can’t know it through layers of dashboards and delegation.

 what to do instead

1. Redefine how you measure.

Evaluate contribution, not confidence. Build systems that surface real work, not loud work.

2. Build direct relationships. Know your people by name. Ask how they’re doing, not just what they’re delivering. Small visibility from you restores months of invisibility for them.

   
   

3. Watch for the games.

People mirror what gets rewarded. If loudness gets noticed, everyone gets louder. You set the volume.

4. Protect integrity over image.

   Every transformation tests what matters. If you reward showmanship, you’ll get more of it. If you reward integrity, you’ll build loyalty that lasts.

   
   

5. Make performance transparent.

   Create fair systems for feedback and accountability. When everyone knows the standard, illusion loses power.

 Leadership Without Sight Is Just Supervision

The best leaders see. 

They see who carries the load quietly.

Who steps in when it’s inconvenient. Who shows up when it’s hard.

If you don’t know their names, you’re missing the real story of your company.

Transformation isn’t about who shines- it’s about who sustains. And the leaders who learn to see through the noise are the ones who build what lasts.

 the standard you set

Transformation doesn’t reveal capability. It reveals values.

If you want courage, recognize it. 

If you want accountability, model it. 

If you want performance, stop mistaking comfort for competence.

The leaders who will thrive next are the ones who name the invisible contributors, dismantle the popularity contests, and make performance the only stage that matters.

Leadership without awareness is management in disguise. 

Management maintains. 

Leadership transforms.

Action for Leaders:

Start naming your people- literally. Ask who’s overlooked, who’s holding things together, who’s speaking truth without recognition. Those are your real performers. Build around them.

That’s how transformation becomes real.

That’s how you lead from the front.