The Power of Leadership Optics

By Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN

The other day, a colleague spoke with me about a situation at work. Her boss, the hospital CEO, spoke with her about not spending enough time – “minding the store.” She has been working on building her leadership brand and has begun putting herself out there for speaking events and national task forces. In her mind, her new visibility was good for her health system, and she could bring back whatever she is learning to her own team.

Unfortunately, during this turbulent time in healthcare, that is not how her side hustle is being perceived. She felt angry and undervalued. We talked about how she might be misreading the leadership optics here. The CEO was issuing her a warning that she needed to heed.

In leadership, intent does not always equal impact. You might see accepting a weekday keynote, consulting on an advisory panel, or taking frequent leave to promote a personal brand as a natural extension of your professional growth. After all, thought leadership builds credibility. But from the staff you leave behind, the view often looks entirely different. Optics matter. Leadership presence isn’t just about showing up when things are easy; it is about where your team perceives your energy, focus, and loyalties when the environment is demanding.

How the Frontline Might View Her Side Hustle

When a leader is frequently offsite building an external profile during high-stress periods, staff rarely think, “I’m so glad my leader is enhancing their personal brand.” Instead, the unspoken narrative often becomes:

• “They’ve already checked out.” Staff assumes the leader is actively looking for their next exit or prioritizing their personal business over daily operational struggles.

• “Our daily reality doesn’t matter.” When units are short-staffed or navigating intense throughput issues, a leader posting updates from an out-of-town summit signals a painful disconnect from the team’s current burden.

• “Rules for thee, but not for me.” Flexibility that is readily accessible to leadership but strictly denied to staff breeds rapid cynicism and erodes organizational trust.

Assessing Your Attempts to Expand Your Leadership Footprint

Expanding your professional footprint is not inherently wrong, but it requires radical self-awareness. Ask yourself three critical questions before saying yes to external endeavors:

1. What is the current operational climate? If your units are stabilizing and operations are smooth, an absence is barely noticed. If your teams are in the middle of severe staffing crunches, regulatory surveys, or major system rollouts, stepping away sends the wrong signal.

2. Is your availability compromised? If taking on external commitments means delegating core rounding, skipping 1-on-1 touchpoints, or being unreachable during critical decisions, the external work is interfering with your primary responsibility.

3. How does this serve your organization and team? Thought leadership should bring value back to the organization—whether through new insights, best practices, or elevating the work of the team—rather than serving solely as personal self-promotion.

Protecting Your Leadership Credibility

Protecting your leadership credibility requires some intentional boundary setting. Some key actions include the following:

• Over-communicate context: If an external engagement is institutional service or directly benefits the organization, ensure the team understands why you are away and who holds decision-making authority in your absence.

• Protect unit visibility: Double down on proactive floor rounding and direct engagement before and after planned absences. Ensure your presence is palpable when you are on site.

• Separate the hustle cleanly: External speaking, consulting, and content creation should occur strictly on personal time, using accrued leave, without relying on internal staff or institutional resources.

A personal brand built on a deteriorating foundation at home will not sustain itself. The most powerful leadership brand you can ever build is one of consistent reliability, presence, and unwavering support for the people you lead every day.