Visibility as Mutual Awareness

Visibility isn’t just about managers seeing their people. It’s about teammates seeing each
other.
Mutual awareness shifts the dynamic. When people see how their contributions fit into the
bigger picture (and how their manager’s responsibilities support that picture ) collaboration feels
smoother. Teammates anticipate needs, coordinate more easily, and trust that the group is
moving in the same direction.
And it doesn’t stop there. When managers help their team understand how their work
connects with other groups across the company, visibility expands beyond the team. People
see how their output enables others, how dependencies flow, and how their success contributes to
something larger. That perspective builds respect, reduces conflict, and strengthens the sense of
shared purpose . It also creates accountability, because people see how their work directly
impacts teammates and other groups.

Everyday moves
Share work -in-progress so people can see how pieces are coming together.
Hold regular updates focused on team goals and how those goals connect to other teams.
Explain your own role as a manager so people understand how you support their success and
represent the team across the company.

Mutual visibility builds empathy and trust. It helps people respect each other’s
pressures, recognize progress in real time, and understand how their manager’s role
connects their work to the bigger picture of the company. And with that awareness
comes acc ountability to each other, to the team, and to the broader goals.

Does your team know how their work connects to the bigger picture and how yours does
too?