The Performance Gear: Making the Invisible Visible: Lessons from the Iceberg

“What man actually needs is not a tensionless state, but rather the striving and struggling for some goal worthy of him.” – Viktor Frankl

A couple of months into my new position, I found myself at the city’s annual “budget retreat.” Let me tell you, whoever named it a “retreat” clearly never sat through an all-day budget meeting on a weekend, b

ut I digress.

The Growing Pains of a City

Our city exploded in size-over 214% growth in the last 27 years, jumping from 6,474 people to over 20,301, with most of that in the past fifteen years. Water lines stretched from 25 to 102 miles, hydrants jumped from 95 to 740, and our Parks Department was now maintaining nearly 50 acres of turf-about 37 football fields. Yet, staffing had barely budged. The responsibilities had multiplied, but the hands to do the work hadn’t.

To help the city council understand, I created a simple graphic: the Public Works Iceberg. The tip above the water showed visible things-running water, clean parks, smooth roads. But the massive chunk below the surface? That is where the real work happens: the maintenance, repairs, and daily grind that nobody sees until something goes wrong.

Hummock vs. Bummock: The Iceberg Metaphor

Here’s a fun fact: the visible part of the iceberg is called the hummock, and the hidden part is the bummock. Most people-residents, elected officials, even employees-focus on the hummock because that is what gets noticed. If a road is in disrepair or the water stops running, everyone sees it. But when things run smoothly, it’s invisible, and nobody thinks twice.

It’s the same in any organization-or even at home. The stay-at-home parent, the teacher grading papers at night, the athlete training before sunrise: their success is built in the invisible hours. Greatness is made in the bummock, not the hummock.

Why Recognition Matters

Gravity pulls everyone’s attention to the visible. Employees, like dogs who keep doing tricks for treats, naturally focus on what gets noticed and rewarded. If no one sees or acknowledges the “other stuff,” why bother? That’s why truly high-performing organizations build systems to make invisible work visible and valued.

Take Steph Curry, for example. He’s arguably the best shooter in NBA history, but his greatness wasn’t built during games-it was built in the hours nobody saw, shooting thousands of practice shots, perfecting his craft. His invisible work earned him championships, MVPs, and the adoration of fans. But what about your team? Do you recognize their invisible work? Do you even know what it is?

Our Recognition Program: Making the Invisible Visible

As a leader, I’ve been guilty of missing the positive contributions of my team, and I’ve also discovered-sometimes too late-that someone was only taking care of the visible and neglecting the invisible. So, how do you make the bummock matter?

We started by tracking how time was spent. We coded the basic time categories in each department and began to have the team record how they spent their workday. This exercise was a game changer. We saw where we were always “borrowing from Peter to pay Paul,” and where bad habits and poor systems were wasting time. It was like finally seeing the whole iceberg.

But tracking alone wasn’t enough. We needed to celebrate the hard work that often goes unseen.

Examples from Our Program

So, we created a formal recognition program to shine a light on the bummock:

Work Orders and Accountability: We implemented work orders and new systems of accountability. Now, when the water crew fixes a leak before anyone notices, or the parks team keeps the irrigation running in the dead of summer, that work gets logged and recognized-not just internally, but in front of the whole organization and even elected officials.

Peer Recognition: We set up a system where employees can nominate each other for Peer awards. The nominations often reveal stories no one knew about-like the staff member who stayed late to help a resident or the quiet diligence of someone who keeps our aging infrastructure running.

Growth Jars at Home: Even at home, my wife and I use “Growth Jars” with our kids. For every 15 minutes of practice-piano, baseball, reading-they add a rock to their jar. It makes their invisible effort tangible, and we can reward what matters most: their growth. The same principle applies at work.

Recognition Boards

When I set out to build a recognition program for our Public Works team, I wanted something real-something that truly showed the contributions our folks were making every day. I looked around and noticed how the military and police do a great job recognizing rank and bravery with medals and patches, but I hadn’t seen anything like that in Public Works. So, I decided to create my own system, one that was visual, meaningful, and something employees could proudly display-even take home at retirement as a tribute to their hard work. No fluff, no participation trophies.

After pitching the idea to my administration team and the City Manager, we brainstormed and landed on the idea of individual recognition boards for each employee. We went with sheet metal for an industrial look that matched our vibe and made the boards magnetic so we could attach patches, pins, and medals easily. We designed colorful Chevron patches to show rank-careful not to copy military insignia-and created a ladder system for advancement, including certifications like CDL, flagger, and confined space. Each certification earned a custom-designed medal that looked sharp and professional, reflecting the serious effort behind passing those tough tests.

We also tracked real work accomplishments-like how many water leaks repaired or miles of street swept-and rewarded those with beads on the boards. Plus, because team culture matters, we added patches for team games and championship stars for the winners. Each board included the city logo, a framed photo, and the employee’s name, creating a proud, visible display of their journey and achievements.

Rolling this out took some time and a bit of crafting, but once we hung the boards in the conference room, employees started engaging immediately asking how to earn more patches and medals. We even built metal pipe shelves to match the industrial look, making the boards a centerpiece of our workspace. Alongside the boards, we created plaques to recognize milestones like 50 or 100 water leaks repaired, pairing those honors with gift cards and even paid leave to make the achievements feel special.

We wanted to avoid cheap participation trophies but still celebrate the “soft skills” that don’t always show up in numbers-things like leadership, creativity, and teamwork. Our recognition boards and program shine a light on the invisible, everyday effort that keeps our city running smoothly. It’s about making the underwater part of the iceberg-the bummock-visible and valued, so our people know their hard work truly matters.

Impact

This recognition program has changed our culture. Employees now know their invisible work matters. They’re motivated to go the extra mile, not just for a pat on the back, but because they see their effort is valued. It’s also made it easier to spot when someone is hiding in the bummock, doing just enough to get by.

Autonomy, Accountability, and the Right Team

People crave autonomy, but it needs to be balanced with accountability. Too little autonomy, and employees feel micromanaged. Too much, and some will do the bare minimum. Our recognition and tracking systems help align autonomy with productivity-making sure everyone is pulling their weight and getting credit for it.

Staffing, I realized, is like making a bed. One person can make a king-sized bed, but it takes longer. Two people do it faster, but a third doesn’t help much. The trick is knowing how many people you need for each job-and not getting called away to make another bed halfway through.

Final Thoughts

My first big presentation didn’t end with a standing ovation or a blank check for more staff. But that wasn’t the goal. The goal was to help everyone-myself included-see the whole iceberg. To make the invisible visible, not for accolades, but for the health and success of our organization.

Greatness is built in the bummock. As leaders, it’s our job to recognize it, reward it, and help our teams find meaning in the struggle beneath the surface.