Definition:
This is a way of saying that although something might look effortless, there is a lot of activity going on behind the scenes to make it happen.
Explanation:
“Swans feet” is a variation on the swan metaphor. it’s a shortening of the revelation you get when, after seeing a swan gracefully slide across a lake, you get close and look underneath the water to see it’s feet thrashing to keep everything moving.
In the corporate world, this is seen a lot in busy departments and far more recently, in very busy technical or business oriented chats. It often has to be explained to senior management or people without subject matter knowledge why it’s so frantic and looks so disorganised.
This actually seems quite stressful to those without a full grip on what is actually happening. But this is the reality of how people get the work done during constant high and varied demand, so that something can appear easy and graceful from an external point of view.
In the corporate world, this is seen a lot in busy departments and far more recently, in very busy technical or business oriented chats. It often has to be explained to senior management or people without subject matter knowledge why it’s so frantic and looks so disorganised.
This actually seems quite stressful to those without a full grip on what is actually happening. But this is the reality of how people get the work done during constant high and varied demand, so that something can appear easy and graceful from an external point of view.
Disclaimer: As always these posts are not aimed at anyone client or employer and are just my personal observations over a lifetime of dealing with both management and frontline associates.