Every manager tries to hire smart people, equip them with effective tools, and give them reasonable objectives. Logically, the work should move forward at a steady pace. But in many organizations, good people and good intentions get bogged down by a constant presence of friction, a generalized slowness that leaders struggle to explain. This isn’t a talent problem; it’s a visibility problem.
Poor visibility is the condition where employees lack the necessary context to understand how their efforts connect to the larger mission. They know what they are doing, but they can't see the upstream decisions that initiated the task or the downstream teams who depend on their result or will feel the impact of their actions.
When people lack this visibility, they default to caution. They hesitate to make decisions because they fear duplicating efforts, contradicting another department's work, or triggering an unexpected political landmine. They spend massive amounts of time checking, confirming, and seeking external validation, which is just another way of saying they are wasting time compensating for bad communication.
This creates the constant feeling that the organization is working in silos, even when teams are technically cooperating. People are doing good, high-quality work within their own lanes, but the collective speed is limited by the slowest, most cautious handoff. That friction is caused entirely by the constant need to question the process.
Visibility is the structure that allows people to make fast, autonomous decisions. It gives them the confidence to proceed without asking permission. Leaders who prioritize visibility don't just share information; they create systems that allow employees to see the connection between their effort and the organization's success, removing the need for hesitation.
The speed of your organization’s work is limited by how quickly your employees can make decisions without asking permission.
