When a leader visits a place and what first greets him or her is fresh paint, there is work to be done. And there is always work to be done.

In almost all institutions, if you are important enough, and your impression can change the direction of the institution, you are almost guaranteed to be greeted with fresh paint.

It is an anomaly that defies logic, but we are all guilty of it. If we understand the need to show the best of us to those we hold in high regard, why don’t we maintain the best of us for us?

Some leaders have tried to beat this by paying unscheduled visits, but it rarely works. Because the system is built to track you.

This feeds off the opinion that you will never get a second chance to make a first impression and first impressions are disproportionately important.

How do we solve this? Move around daily with the standards that are acceptable to your best self and hold everyone up to those standards.

The important guest is a visitor. If fresh paint and a clean environment will make him predisposed to feeling happy, imagine what it will do to the majority of people that live or work in that environment daily.

Interestingly, all visiting leaders smell the fresh paint. Some joke about it, some caution against it, some ignore it and some are grateful for the courtesy.

Fresh paint is a cover up. The question always is, what do you have to hide? Why not solve it sustainably?

– Osasu Oviawe