In the era of flexible and remote work, we often forget the silent, powerful learning that happens simply by being there --- [1]while a great deal of work can be done from anywhere, one of the most significant sacrifices of a distributed environment is the loss of learning by proximity and seamless availability.

The Science of Spontaneous Learning

The simple act of being physically near your leader provides an unparalleled fast track to professional growth:

• Learning by Osmosis: You pick up on their decision-making processes, communication styles, priorities, and reactions to unexpected situations --- things that never make it onto a scheduled agenda.
• Immediate Availability: A quick, spontaneous question can be answered in seconds, preventing hours of work on the wrong path. This high frequency of contact builds trust and speeds up execution.

This concept is well-supported by research, most notably the Allen Curve. This study demonstrates a sharp drop-off in the frequency of communication between two people as the distance between them increases. Regular, high-frequency contact is the point.

The Leadership Proximity Paradox

While the benefits of proximity to a leader are clear, where you choose to sit should evolve with your career:

• As an Individual Contributor (IC): I firmly believe a leader’s most critical proximity is being near their team. The focus should be on supporting and unblocking the contributors who do the hands-on work.
• As a Manager of Managers/Senior Leader: Once you make the jump to leading managers, being close to your leader --- the executive --- provides significantly more value. This proximity allows you to better internalize the overarching strategy, understand leadership decisions, and convey that vision seamlessly down to your teams.

Making Proximity Work Remotely

This proximity-based learning is certainly harder in a remote setting. However, it is not impossible; it simply requires intentional effort to replicate the benefits:

• High Presence: Leaders and teams need to be highly visible and available on collaboration platforms. Turn on your camera, respond quickly, and maintain an “open door” virtually.
• Structured Contact: You must replace spontaneous run-ins with regular, focused stand-ups or quick, unscheduled check-ins (what some call “virtual desk-side visits”).

The Bottom Line

I recently moved my physical desk for entirely unrelated reasons, but the immediate observation was striking: communication and connection were vastly improved simply by being closer to my peers and my boss.

Proximity is a critical factor in building strong connections, enhancing communication, and accelerating professional development. Don’t underestimate the power of the few feet between you and the next level of insight.

1: I’m reclaiming the use of emdashes from the machines. I used them before but have stopped due to the confusion surrounding LLMs using them as well. I’ll add “---“ to differentiate my use vs. the machine’s.