“What did you do today?” I asked my mother one evening. I call her daily—on my way to the office and again on the way home.
“Oh, just things around the house, in the yard. Lots of little things. You know, the kind that don’t show,” she said.
“I know what you mean—things that don’t get noticed when you do them, but definitely do when you don’t. So, they’re important,” I replied.
It’s the same in companies sometimes. The most visible roles are often those that directly touch the client. In a large company, sales sits at the top of that list. Marketing gets attention too, as do training activities in companies where that’s a priority.
But there are other departments that matter deeply, even if they often go unnoticed—or worse, are underestimated. Production isn’t considered “glamorous,” but without it, there’s nothing to sell.
Quality assurance can feel like a thorn in people’s sides, but only when standards are met do customers keep returning.
And then there’s finance and legal—often treated like corporate Cinderella figures.
We don’t see what they do day-to-day…
But imagine if finance sent payroll to the wrong account and you didn’t get your salary.
Or forgot to pay taxes and the company’s accounts got frozen.
Or worse, what if someone in charge of safeguarding funds developed a gambling addiction?
Integrity, ethics, and precision are vital here. These professionals are often doing work like my mother’s: it may not come with fireworks, but its value is unquestionable.
It’s admirable that these people stay motivated, disciplined, and dedicated—despite not receiving daily applause. In most meetings, they don’t get much praise. They don’t shine in client spotlights. But they’re the ones doing the quiet, foundational work that holds everything together.
I’m not saying some departments are more important than others. Every part of the business matters—they’re like links in a bicycle chain.
And when one link breaks, the whole thing stops.
So let’s not forget to appreciate the invisible work—the steady, consistent contributions of people who don’t shout, don’t self-promote, don’t win customer awards or glowing emails from the CEO.
I’ll close with a question:
Do you know who the President of Switzerland is?
You probably haven’t heard what she does or doesn’t do.
Yet Switzerland remains a country with one of the highest standards of living in the world.
Her name is Karin Keller-Sutter.
One of her predecessors once said, “We try very hard to be boring.”
There’s no need for drama, no daily showboating.
To make a company—or a country—work well, you don’t always need grand announcements or headline-making decisions.
You need stability. You need reliability.
You need the people who show up, do their job, and do it well.