Why Great Leaders Leave Their Desks

What two CEOs taught me about leadership, listening, and walking the ground.

Leadership is often associated with boardrooms, strategy meetings, presentations, and decision-making. Those things are certainly part of leadership. But over the years, I've come to believe that some of the most important leadership moments happen far away from the boardroom. They happen on the ground.

Working in occupational health, a significant part of my role involves administration. Contrary to what many people think, occupational health isn't solely about bedside nursing. Much of our work happens behind a computer—reviewing reports, coordinating programmes, analyzing trends, completing documentation, and supporting the health of an entire workforce.

The administrative work is important. But every now and then, something reminds me that leadership cannot happen from behind a desk alone.

Many years ago, the Occupational Health Unit where I worked was housed in a 40-foot container. We had raised concerns about that space for years. We made it work because we had to, but we all knew it had long been outgrown. There were limitations in managing emergencies, limitations in expanding services, and limitations in providing the level of care the workforce deserved.

Then one day, a gentleman quietly walked into the unit. He approached the male nurse on duty and asked a simple question:

"What do you think about your current working conditions?"

The nurse answered honestly. He spoke about the lack of space, the challenges of responding to emergencies, the inability to expand services, and the reality of trying to deliver quality occupational health care in a space that no longer met the organization's needs.

Only afterwards did he realize he had been speaking to the newly appointed CEO.

Not long afterwards, the process began that eventually led to the development of a new Occupational Health Unit.

That conversation has stayed with me for years.

Later in my career, I observed another CEO who demonstrated a remarkably similar habit. Most mornings, before many employees had settled into their offices, he was already on the plant wearing full PPE, walking the site, greeting employees, asking questions, and listening.

There wasn't always a crisis. There wasn't always a formal inspection. He simply understood something that I think every leader benefits from remembering:

The people closest to the work often have the clearest understanding of what's really happening.

Those two experiences taught me something I'll never forget. Sometimes the quickest way to move an organization forward isn't another meeting.

It's a conversation.

Reports are important. Dashboards are important. Metrics are important.

But reports tell us what is happening. People help us understand why.

I've also realized that this lesson applies to me.

Working in occupational health, it is very easy to become consumed by reports, emails, projects, presentations, and documentation. Before long, an entire day can pass without leaving the office.

I've had to challenge myself to get up. To put on my PPE. To walk the site. To visit departments. To ask questions. To listen.

Not because someone called me.

But because understanding the workplace requires more than reviewing the paperwork. It requires seeing the workplace through the eyes of the people who experience it every day.

Leadership isn't simply about making decisions.

It's about making informed decisions.

And informed decisions begin with curiosity.

Sometimes the most important meeting of the day isn't on your calendar.

It's the conversation waiting outside your office door.