Ever want to be invisible?

Invisibility

A discussion with any adolescent boy about superheroes and powers will invariably include the power of invisibility. Along with super strength, speed, and intelligence, invisibility ranks high on the list of coveted powers. What seldom comes up is the curse that comes with the power of invisibility.

Ask somebody what they would / could do if they were invisible. Ask yourself what you might do. Your answers will likely be similar to everyone else. You might say something about sneaking into a locker room. They might answer with aspirations of being able to sneak in and steal from a bank. They might mention eavesdropping on coworkers or supervisors to find out what people “really” think of them. All answers generally involve gaining access to locations, materials, or information you night otherwise not have.

All right David, where are you going with this? We have discussed associate engagement, and pet peeves. Now we are on to superheroes and their powers? What gives? Hear me our, I think I might have stumbled on something that speaks to engagement in here. While invisibility might sound like a cool power, it comes at a very high price. Those who have that power too, reveal much about themselves with its use.

I will first speak about invisibility and engagement. When a person walk into a business, they do not want to be invisible. Aside from the visual impression they have upon their entry, customers appreciate attention and acknowledgement. Employees feel unimportant and ignored if they are not spoken to or acknowledged by coworkers, supervisors, and customers. In these situations, being invisible is not a desirable thing. If you are invisible, you are not engaged. I will also say that you are likely not engaging if you are invisible as well.

Customers and employees alike when left to feel invisible are less than satisfied with their circumstances. Customers will either look around for someone to notice them or simply leave. Attention only after they have approached the service agent does little to minimize or make up for the feeling of isolation caused by invisibility. Speak to anyone who deals with the public about pet peeves and at some point they will rail about people who fail to return a simple salutation. When a simple “hello” or “good afternoon” receives no acknowledgment, it instantly puts the service worker on edge. They will attempt to connect in another way. If slighted again, they will likely disengage and seek easier, more receptive customers. Some customers who want to be left alone understand this and use it as a tactic against aggressive salespeople.

The scenarios mentioned above demonstrate how important it is to acknowledge other people. Companies need to foster an environment that builds on this basic step to engagement. Supervisors need to acknowledge, recognize, and simply greet employees. Service agents need to strive to make this most basic step with each person they encounter. Coworkers must recognize one another and engage one another if the workplace is to become one where people want to work. All this points to the power of making you and others visible. What does this have to do with invisibility?

“The best security is good customer service.” This is the mantra of the retail loss prevention agent. Retailers know that good customer service intimidates criminals and makes them nervous. They understand that an engaged staff makes a huge difference in shrinkage. Why? That is the central question. Simply put, Criminals like being invisible. People who want to steal will use an unengaged employee to “hide” and go about their work of stealing from a store. These people use their power of invisibility for evil. Some otherwise hones (if opportunistic) customers will act out and steal if left alone to feel invisible. Some of these criminals will be the people who ignore an otherwise engaging employee.

While there are enticing aspects to being invisible, we often fail to explore the price that comes with it. Human beings are social beings. Isolation is not the normal state in which we exist. Being invisible isolates us. It separates us from our species and leads to aberrant behaviors. This is why the criminal embraces invisibility and uses it as a tool to aid in their crimes. This is also why engagement in the workplace is so important.

Associates who feel isolated and invisible are in danger of becoming snared by this curse. Left to their own devices and feeling isolated, employees will attempt to get noticed. They will start by coming late. Next, they might advance to dress code violations. These activities are attempts to garner attention. To these individuals, any attention is better than being unnoticed. Even if the attention is negative. It is not necessarily a conscious effort on their part. It is a symptom or side effect of the isolation that comes with being invisible to their coworkers and supervisors. It is a result of their not being engaged at work.

Management and supervisory staff need to pay attention to this and look for these signs of isolation. They need to address these issues quickly and look for the cause of these isolated feelings. Acknowledge the good aspects of an associate’s behavior. Recognize and address those activities that are symptomatic of an employee’s lack of engagement. If these things remain undone, employees will escalate their self-destructive behaviors in ways that could lead to far more serious infractions. These employees are often the ones who are found engaged in illegal activities. These are the associates who find themselves unemployed or worse because of their cries for attention. Make efforts to make every member of your team feel important. Let them know that each role, no matter how seemingly small or insignificant, is crucial to the success of your business.

Invisibility poses some interesting possibilities. In the light of the potential pitfalls however, invisibility may prove more a curse than blessing. People often strive to build a reputation within their chosen line of work. They seek to have a reputation for being honest, punctual, and reliable. They may seek to have a good reputation for being an expert within their field. Many make the mistake of equating reputation to character. This trap is the basis for the problems posed by invisibility. Reputation is how others view you. Determined by what people observe. Defined only by being visible. Character however, is whom you are when no one is looking. Character is by definition being invisible. When no one is looking. When no one is paying attention. When you feel like you are invisible, what do you do? How do you act? Character is who you really are. Reputation is who you want people to believe you to be.

Obviously, the best practice is for our employees and customers alike to feel that they are important. We want these people engaged in our business. If this occurs, character and reputation will likely never be at odds. Opportunity for the generally honest person to seek recognition will not present itself. These honest people will not even think about the possibility of nefarious activity. They will never know what potential capacity for negative activities they may possess. This is a good thing. It is when good people are allowed to discover the potential darkness they have within, that they fail themselves. Not only do they fail themselves; they exemplify the failure of the circumstances in which they find themselves.

If you actions when you believe you are alone are at parity with your actions when in public, you exemplify you character. Your reputation and you character are not at odds. We must always act as if we someone were watching us. This has never been truer than in the modern, technological era. Cameras in public places, camera phones, and web-based cameras all make it possible for others to surreptitiously in circumstances far more often than before. The illusion of invisibility is a trap. Even if not being actively engaged, someone is likely watching. These times of perceived invisibility are the true test of your character. The way you handle such situations determines your true character and reveals it to those who determine you reputation simultaneously.

If a person wishes to be invisible, it is not necessarily because they harbor criminal intentions. There are reasons and times when the noblest individuals wish to remain unnoticed. If one receives continued, negative attention, they will likely seek the refuge afforded by invisibility. If they are in an environment where they feel they do not belong, they too may seek to enrobe themselves with a cloak of invisibility. As mentioned before, persons who wish to be left alone in an excessively aggressive sales environment will seek to remain unnoticed. In these instances, invisibility is perhaps a desirable tool. The wish to become invisible here is then a symptom of bad circumstances. Do not assume the person seeking to remain unnoticed is either criminal or ignored. Check the environment to be sure that the person is not hiding from some external unwanted pressure.
As in most things relating to the human condition, we are variable. No single formula will ever be able to answer the human equation. Balance is the key. If we can balance the equation, we will generally succeed in making a majority of the people we encounter happy. Engage everyone you encounter. Do so in a positive and easy manner. Do not smother, abuse, or otherwise place the other person under undue stress. Acknowledge and recognize others. Be available. Let them know they are not invisible. Do not give them a chance to explore their darker nature. Let them show them a reputation they deserve. Allow the better parts of their character to shine.

Be visible, and look for the invisible and welcome them to humanity. Bring them out of the isolation that has the potential to corrupt. Allow your employees, coworkers, and customers to be the best they can be by seeing them for who they are. Where they are.