The document discusses the problem of "visibility deficiency", where managers and leaders fail to see beyond what is directly presented to them. This can lead subordinates to act without conscience in their efforts to gain visibility, such as taking credit for others' work. A story is told of a king who tests his son's listening skills by having him spend time in the forest. By his final visit, the son has learned to truly hear and understand his surroundings. The author argues leaders must similarly learn to see beyond surface levels by asking "who else?" was involved, promoting on merit over visibility, and being wary of "godfathers" who push certain people. Addressing visibility deficiencies can foster a more ethical organizational culture.

1. ABSENCE OF CONSCIENCE
Sanjay Kirimanjeshwar
VISIBILITY
DEFICIENCY
September 28, 2015

2. PEOPLE TAKE MANY ROUTES TO GAIN VISIBILITY IN THEIR ORGANIZATIONS.
SOME ARE HONORABLE. SOME AREN’T.
Absence of Conscience | Visibility Deficiency | Sanjay Kirimanjeshwar

3. AS INDIVIDUALS COMPETE AND PUSH FOR VISIBILITY AT ANY COST,
YOU WITNESS AN ABSENCE OF CONSCIENCE IN THEIR ACTIONS.
IT’S WORRISOME.
Absence of Conscience | Visibility Deficiency | Sanjay Kirimanjeshwar

4. AND, WHEN SUPERVISORS AND LEADERS TERM IT AS
ESSENCE OF THE NEW WORLD, IT’S FAR MORE WORRISOME.
Absence of Conscience | Visibility Deficiency | Sanjay Kirimanjeshwar

5. LET ME NARRATE A STORY.
YOU MAY HAVE HEARD IT IN A DIFFERENT CONTEXT.
I SAY IT, I TWEAK IT, BECAUSE IT RAISES AN IMPORTANT QUESTION.
Absence of Conscience | Visibility Deficiency | Sanjay Kirimanjeshwar

6. A QUESTION OF
VISIBILITY
DEFICIENCY
Absence of Conscience | Visibility Deficiency | Sanjay Kirimanjeshwar

7. ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE LIVED A GREAT KING WHO
WAS LOVED BY HIS SUBJECTS. HE HAD A SON WHO WAS
IN A HURRY TO TAKE OVER THE THRONE.
Absence of Conscience | Visibility Deficiency | Sanjay Kirimanjeshwar

8. “FATHER, I AM READY”, HE SAID.
Absence of Conscience | Visibility Deficiency | Sanjay Kirimanjeshwar

9. THE KING AGREED. BUT, ON ONE CONDITION.
Absence of Conscience | Visibility Deficiency | Sanjay Kirimanjeshwar

10. HE ASKED HIS SON TO LIVE IN THE FOREST FOR SIX MONTHS.
UPON RETURN, THE SON WOULD HAVE TO
SATISFACTORILY ANSWER THE KING’S QUESTION.
Absence of Conscience | Visibility Deficiency | Sanjay Kirimanjeshwar

11. SIX MONTHS PASSED. THE SON RETURNED.
THE KING ASKED, “WHAT DID YOU HEAR IN THE FOREST?”
Absence of Conscience | Visibility Deficiency | Sanjay Kirimanjeshwar

12. THE SON REPLIED, “NOTHING AT ALL. IT’S A FOREST!”
THE KING ASKED HIM TO SPEND A YEAR AWAY, THIS TIME.
Absence of Conscience | Visibility Deficiency | Sanjay Kirimanjeshwar

13. A YEAR PASSED. THE KING ASKED HIS SON AGAIN.
“WHAT DID YOU HEAR IN THE FOREST?”
Absence of Conscience | Visibility Deficiency | Sanjay Kirimanjeshwar

14. THE SON REPLIED, “I HEARD THE SOUNDS OF ANIMALS.”
THE KING SENT HIM BACK TO THE FOREST.
Absence of Conscience | Visibility Deficiency | Sanjay Kirimanjeshwar

15. ANOTHER YEAR PASSED. THE KING ASKED HIS SON AGAIN.
HE REPLIED, “I HEARD THE CLOUDS MOVE, THE SOUND OF RAIN,
AND THE COLD BREEZE.”
Absence of Conscience | Visibility Deficiency | Sanjay Kirimanjeshwar

16. THE KING ASKED HIM TO SPEND YET ANOTHER YEAR AWAY.
Absence of Conscience | Visibility Deficiency | Sanjay Kirimanjeshwar

17. UPON RETURN, THE SON EXCITEDLY SAID,
“I HEARD THE FLOWERS BLOOM AND ANIMALS SING WITH JOY.
SOUNDS I NEVER HEARD BEFORE.”
Absence of Conscience | Visibility Deficiency | Sanjay Kirimanjeshwar

18. THE KING SMILED AND SAID, “NOW, YOU ARE READY, MY SON.”
Absence of Conscience | Visibility Deficiency | Sanjay Kirimanjeshwar

19. THE KING CONTINUED, “WHEN YOU ARE A KING, YOU SIT FAR AWAY
FROM YOUR PEOPLE. THEREFORE, YOU MUST DEVELOP THE SKILL TO
HEAR THEM, UNDERSTAND THEM, AND KNOW THEM.”
YOU NEED TO SEE BEYOND WHAT IS SHOWN TO YOU.
Absence of Conscience | Visibility Deficiency | Sanjay Kirimanjeshwar

20. IF YOU SIT HIGHER UP THINKING THAT THE ONUS IS ON THE PEOPLE
TO MAKE THEMSELVES VISIBLE, YOU END UP ON YOUR PART WITH
VISIBILITY DEFICIENCY
Absence of Conscience | Visibility Deficiency | Sanjay Kirimanjeshwar
“
“

21. VISIBILITY DEFICIENCY = YOUR INABILITY TO SEE BEYOND WHAT IS SHOWN
Absence of Conscience | Visibility Deficiency | Sanjay Kirimanjeshwar
NOTE

22. VISIBILITY DEFICIENCY ISN’T THE INABILITY OF OTHERS TO MAKE THEMSELVES VISIBLE
Absence of Conscience | Visibility Deficiency | Sanjay Kirimanjeshwar
NOTE

23. TODAY, MANAGERS AND EXECUTIVES ARE
NOT RUNNING TO THE FOREST TO LEARN LIFE’S IMPORTANT LESSONS.
Absence of Conscience | Visibility Deficiency | Sanjay Kirimanjeshwar

24. THEIR TRAINING GROUND IS THEIR IMMEDIATE ENVIRONMENT AND CULTURE.
Absence of Conscience | Visibility Deficiency | Sanjay Kirimanjeshwar

25. AND, WHEN THEY SUFFER FROM VISIBILITY DEFICIENCY,
THEIR SUBORDINATES TAKE A VARIETY OF ROUTES TO BE VISIBLE.
OFTEN WITH AN ABSENCE OF CONSCIENCE.
Absence of Conscience | Visibility Deficiency | Sanjay Kirimanjeshwar

26. ACTIONS RESULTING FROM ABSENCE OF CONSCIENCE
STEALING CREDITS
DENYING OPPORTUNITY TO OTHERS
DILUTING OTHER’S JOB CONTENT
POSITION ONESELF AS THE “BE ALL. END ALL”
NOT ACKNOWLEDGING OTHER’S CONTRIBUTION
SELF BEFORE OTHERS
GROWING BY PUSHING OTHERS DOWN
NOT ALLOWING OTHERS TO GROW
MISUSING EXECUTIVE RELATIONSHIPS
MANIPULATING GODFATHERS
………..
Absence of Conscience | Visibility Deficiency | Sanjay Kirimanjeshwar

27. 5 IDEAS TO
ARREST VISIBILITY DEFICIENCY
Absence of Conscience | Visibility Deficiency | Sanjay Kirimanjeshwar

28. ALWAYS ASK, “WHO ELSE?”
Absence of Conscience | Visibility Deficiency | Sanjay Kirimanjeshwar
1 THIS WILL HELP YOU FIND OUT WHO ELSE WAS
INVOLVED IN THE ACTIVITY, IN ITS SUCCESS, AND
UNDERSTAND THEIR CONTRIBUTION.
WHEN YOU DO THIS ON A CONSISTENT BASIS, YOU
DRIVE HOME THE POINT THAT YOU WANT TO SEE
BEYOND WHAT IS SHOWN TO YOU.

29. MANDATE YOUR
DIRECT REPORTS TO
DEMONSTRATE GROWTH
FOR EVERYONE IN THE TEAM.
Absence of Conscience | Visibility Deficiency | Sanjay Kirimanjeshwar
2
THIS WAY, YOU SIGNAL TO THE ENTIRE CHAIN THAT
EVERYONE HAS A RIGHT TO GROWTH, RECOGNITION,
AND REWARDS. NOT JUST FOR THOSE VISIBLE.

30. PROMOTE PEOPLE ON MERIT.
NOT ON THE BASIS OF
VISIBILITY AND INFLUENCE.
Absence of Conscience | Visibility Deficiency | Sanjay Kirimanjeshwar
3
WHEN YOU DO THIS, YOU MAKE IT ABSOLUTELY CLEAR
THAT YOU WILL SEPARATE WISDOM FROM NOISE.
ALSO, YOU WILL RESCUE MANY FROM ADOPTING
NON-RIGHTEOUS PATH TO SUCCESS.

31. TALK TO THOSE WHO
SUPPOSED TO HAVE
GOOFED UP.
OFTEN, THEY ARE THE
FALL GUYS.
Absence of Conscience | Visibility Deficiency | Sanjay Kirimanjeshwar
4
SUCCESS HAS MANY FATHERS. FAILURE HAS ONE.
GO INDEPTH SO THAT YOU UNDERSTAND THE ENTIRE
SITUATION. NO ONE WALKS INTO THE OFFICE TO DO A
SHODDY JOB.
INVESTIGATE. DON’T CONCLUDE, JUST YET.

32. BE WARY OF GODFATHERS
IN THE SYSTEM.
THEY CAN CLOUD YOUR
JUDGMENT WITH THEIR
CLOUT.
Absence of Conscience | Visibility Deficiency | Sanjay Kirimanjeshwar
5
WHEN GODFATHERS PUSH THEIR WARDS AHEAD
WITHOUT CONSIDERATION FOR DESERVING ORPHANS,
IT IS INFACT THEIR POWER STATEMENT.
DON’T HESITATE TO TAKE THEM ON. THEY ARE ALREADY
ON SHAKY MORAL GROUNDS.

33. WHEN ORGANIZATIONS ENCOURAGE THEIR
SUPERVISORY AND LEADERSHIP TALENT TO NOT USE
EMPLOYEE VISIBILITY AS A LEVER FOR RECOGNITION,
THEY FOSTER A CULTURE OF AUTHENTICITY AND
CONTRIBUTE TO BETTER HUMAN RELATIONS.
Absence of Conscience | Visibility Deficiency | Sanjay Kirimanjeshwar

34. IF YOU MISSED READING THE EARLIER ISSUES OF
ABSENCE OF CONSICENCE, VIEW IT ON SLIDE SHARE.
KEEP CALM AND SPEAK THE TRUTH
THE RESISTANCE TO LET GO
Absence of Conscience | Visibility Deficiency | Sanjay Kirimanjeshwar

35. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sanjay Kirimanjeshwar is a career marketing professional based in
Bangalore, India. Sanjay believes that the absence of conscience
among individuals make people and organizations hollow, and
causes erosion of righteousness in corporate life. It is important for
everyone to introspect their actions and be good to each other.
Sanjay can be reached at sanjay.kirimanjeshwar@gmail.com.
The views expressed in this presentation are his personal.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
When I first saw the slide show version of Marty Neumeier’s
Brand Gap many years ago, I was awestruck by its simplicity and the
conversational style of presentation.
It taught me how to build slides.
Absence of Conscience | Visibility Deficiency | Sanjay Kirimanjeshwar