Add Value, if a Seat is Open Fill it

What does it really mean to “add value” as a leader? It’s a phrase thrown around a lot in the business world but actualizing that principle in concrete ways can sometimes feel ambiguous or vague. I believe one simple yet powerful way leaders can add tremendous value is this: See an open seat that needs filling, and fill it.

What do I mean by that? Think of any team, project, meeting, or initiative like a metaphorical table. There are chairs seated around that table for all the roles needed to deliver or decide something. Some may be clearly defined established seats - a dedicated project manager role or required decision maker, for example. But there are always additional unclaimed seats remaining too. Seats that could benefit the outcome if filled by someone willing, regardless of if it’s technically “their job” or not.

A seat for bringing levity and morale when spirits are lagging. A seat for bringing cross-functional perspective outside the groupthink bubble. A seat for asking the hard questions no one wants to voice about potential flaws or disconnects in the approach. A seat at the intersection speaking up for two groups’ needs when they compete. A seat providing ad hoc admin support during stressful crunch times even if that’s not my function. A seat giving constructive feedback to help teams improve.

In established organizations these seats often stay vacant simply out of habit, lack of role clarity, or diffusion of responsibility. We make assumptions that it’s someone else’s job to fill them. Unfortunately that inaction then slowly erodes effectiveness, innovation, accountability and morale over time. Things fall through the cracks, decisions are made in a vacuum, miscommunications proliferate. Groups become infected with malaise and disengagement, wondering why higher ups won’t fix things or why other teams won’t change. All while valuable seats at the table sit tragically empty meeting after meeting.

So where does leadership come in? True leaders see those gaps and don’t wait for permission or “their turn.” They fill the empty seats that they’re able - bringing cross-functional insights to isolated teams, challenging assumptions no one else will, giving feedback in real time versus after the project ends, and lending help before they’re asked.

Really effective leaders actually create value by opening new seats we didn’t even realize the table lacked before. Developing creative solutions to perplexing problems. Building unlikely bridges across disconnected groups. Designing mechanisms to gather input from remote voices. Providing coaching and development resources the team desperately needs but no one was advocating for.

Not only does deliberately filling empty seats solve overlooked gaps in the moment, doing so over time does double duty transforming culture too. When leaders habitually step up to handle the frustrating logistics, bring disconnected people together, challenge unspoken sacred cow processes or give unsolicited supportive feedback, it powerfully models to others “This is what engagement and ownership looks like here.”

Can sitting in unclaimed seats sometimes feel uncomfortable or risky? Absolutely. It requires sticking your neck out socially and politically at times. Speaking hard truths that might not be welcomed. Offering help without a guarantee anyone reciprocates. And doing work outside rigid job descriptions despite other more narrowly defined priorities competing for your time.

But nothing meaningful was ever accomplished from the comfortable easy path of least resistance. I always coach emerging leaders that career advancement itself is an uncomfortable journey of continually volunteering for development opportunities just outside our comfort zone, versus waiting for a tap on the shoulder. Filling unclaimed seats is merely an extension of that growth mindset into organizational culture and citizenship too.

Of course all this raises important questions about sustainability and self sacrifice. Does indiscriminately saying yes to every unclaimed seat lead to unhealthy burnout and martyrdom over time? Can we fill seats selectively and strategically without overextending?

This is where the secondary part of the headline comes in....”if a seat is open fill it”. Note the operative “if”. As with so many leadership principles, wisdom lies in balancing tensions between two equally unhealthy extremes. Never filling seats leads to disengagement on one end just as filling every single seat constantly leads to burnout at the other. The solution lies thoughtfully discerning when, where and how often you choose to fill open seats in alignment with your own priorities and capacity. No need to raise your hand every time, but also push yourself to offer to help just a little more often than feels innately comfortable.

Ultimately filling unclaimed seats is about being steward of the culture we want to exist. One where teams talk and understand each other before decisions happen versus after problems emerge. One where groups get constructive real time input to improve instead of frustration boiling under the surface. One where people are willing to speak up respectfully when no one else will. One where leaders listen and seek input before charging ahead. If that’s the culture we wish to create, then we have to put in the discomfort, initiative and patience to model that first ourselves.

So next meeting you attend, scan around the table first before diving into the agenda. Are there any open seats left unfilled that could help this discussion? Might there be better outcomes if additional perspectives were in the room, tough questions got asked or lapses in the current approach got flagged? And if so, are you willing to take the lead filling that seat if no one else does?

Because there is no force more powerful for transformative change than leaders courageously stepping into empty seats others overlook, avoid or feel not empowered to fill. But change starts with someone choosing to stand up and sit down in them first. So, if you see an open seat, and you care about the outcomes, fill it. You’ll quickly find that the simple act of doing so sends a contagious signal to others - “This culture is one where we all lead in the space we’re able.” And ultimately that culture shift is where true organizational value creation resides.