With respects and apologies to the Old Bard Shakespeare himself, VIM Executive Coaching would like to offer that in terms of executive leadership, the question isn’t about being or not being. The answer is: “Is there no choice but to be present.”
Absentee Management
Obviously (and clearly 2020 reflected this) most of us have been managing virtually. In other cases, such as when the main office might be in Akron, and satellite offices are in Hong Kong and Milan, remote management is not an option. In other cases, an owner might entrust a property or factory to a manager. However, none of those scenarios are what we are describing as “absentee management.”
As a corollary to the answer of there being no choice but to be present, we must add: there is no choice for an executive leader but to be mindful. Mindfulness is indeed the key to executive leadership.
A mindful leader can be effective virtually or at a distance; a mindful leader can be effective hands-off or hands-on, providing there is authenticity to their actions. The word “Mindfulness” itself, can be tricky.
If we are to use the classic definition of mindfulness as “being the quality or state of being conscious or aware of something,” we are offering an incomplete explanation. For example, several years ago a major automotive manufacturer (and at the highest management levels) decided to fake the emissions data of a new engine. In doing so, the executive leaders gave active approval to lying, cheating and polluting, all the while pressuring underlings to keep silent – or else.
We are sure the executive leadership was well-aware and conscious of what they were doing but in doing what they were doing, they knowingly coerced those they managed to into embracing a reality that was ethically and morally wrong.
We prefer a definition that is far more reaching in its compassion. The following definition is embraced by the Mayo Clinic and several other sources:
Mindfulness is a type of meditation in which you focus on being intensely aware of what you're sensing and feeling in the moment, without interpretation or judgment.
How does that differ from the first definition? It differs in that unless one were a fool or robot, it would be impossible not to be intensely aware that there is a false interpretation of the truth and that the judgment was deeply flawed and biased.
The Response
The mindful executive leader is responsive and not reactive. To go back to the title of this post, about being or not being, it is apparent that for a leader to be truly present, the leader mindful must be responsive. Yes, there can be a spur-of-the moment, or even well-thought out, reaction but more often than not it is wrong.
If an executive leader reacts to a manufacturing flaw by intentionally forcing subordinates to remain silent and/or lie to customers, but it can result in severe consequences to the organization such as billions in lawsuits.
Being present, responding authentically and compassionately to a situation generally results in positive outcomes. We are hardly being naïve, but rather we can point to numerous examples where a well-thought-out response proved a tremendous benefit to the organization.
There is no choice but for the executive leader to be mindful, present and responsive. Being present is not an option but a philosophy.