When he's not out on the trails, Michael Barris is a writer, editor, inspirational speaker and book co-author. He also is the creator and curator of Project Plain Sight, a go-to resource dedicated to helping "hidden leaders" in organizations to be seen and to flourish.
His articles have appeared across the platforms of The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones Newswires, Knight Ridder Financial News and DownBeat magazine, among other publications.
He co-wrote The Social Media President: Barack Obama and the Politics of Digital Engagement (Palgrave Macmillan) and has worked as an adjunct professor of writing and public speaking at Rutgers University.
He has also held the title of Senior English Writer for Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business, serving as the voice of the Dean, senior faculty and Americas division managers for this Chinese business school that is well known globally for cutting-edge executive education.
Michael argues that it’s important that senior leaders in organizations strive to think outside the box to allow “hidden leaders” – the members who excel at their jobs but get overlooked for leadership roles – to be seen and to flourish.
Project Plain Sight was born after Michael experienced the power of a hidden leader during a chaotic autumn snowstorm that unexpectedly hit his backpacking expedition in the Rocky Mountains in Canada.
As the group floundered about, unsuccessfully attempting to find its way, one member who initially had remained quietly at the back of the pack suddenly stepped forward to outline an escape plan and lead the lost, wet trekkers to safety.
Since then, Michael has been writing and giving inspirational speeches that seek to raise public awareness of hidden leaders as potential candidates for leadership roles in organizations. "I want to inspire today's organizations and executive leaders to look for the hidden leaders in their organizations," he says. "And I want my message to go out to different organizations."
Long-term, he says his goal is to "improve the work environment and inspire people to get out of their comfort zone." He also aims to "inspire senior leaders to appreciate and mentor their hidden leaders."
Hidden leaders typically are important figures in the departments in which they work. They can be the go-to contacts for information on how to get just about anything done, are well-respected and - since they lead by the example of being excellent - tend to be great motivators of others.
But since they may regard doing good work as its own reward and consider "boasting" about their achievements as unprofessional, they can get lost when senior leaders cast about for candidates for leadership positions - especially when other members of the organization are directly informing the senior leaders about their interest in taking on leadership roles.
Against this backdrop, Project Plain Sight provides a cache of original research, useful tips and interviews with executive leaders and other figures in a range of organizations. It has a dual goal: helping executive leaders in organizations to uncover hidden leaders and helping hidden leaders in organizations to realize their potential as human beings.