Lexicon: The Look (Le Regard)

The Etymology

From the French Le Regard (The Gaze). A central concept in Sartre’s Being and Nothingness, famously illustrated by the "Keyhole" thought experiment.

The Definition

Imagine you are looking through a keyhole, spying on a room.

• Phase 1 (The Subject): You are totally absorbed in what you see. You are pure consciousness. You are the Center of the Universe. You are Free.
• Phase 2 (The Look): Suddenly, you hear footsteps behind you. Someone is watching you.
• The Shift: Instantly, you are no longer the "Watcher." You become the "Watchee." You freeze. You feel Shame. In the eyes of the Other, you have turned from a Subject (a free consciousness) into an Object (a "Peeping Tom"). The Look is the moment another person’s consciousness alienates your freedom. You are no longer defined by how you see the world, but by how they see you.

The Corporate Application

The modern office is designed to maximize The Look.

• Open Offices: You are constantly visible. You cannot act freely; you must "perform" working.
• Digital Surveillance: Green dots on Slack, keystroke loggers, and time-tracking apps are the digitized "Look."
• The Performance Review: This is the ultimate "Objectification." You walk in as a complex human being (Subject), and you walk out as a rating: "3.5 out of 5" (Object).

The Danger: When employees feel constantly under "The Look," they stop taking risks (Subjectivity) and start performing compliance (Objectivity). They become actors playing a role for the camera. The Wise Officer's Balance: To get true innovation, you must occasionally turn off "The Look." You must give teams private space (closed doors, no-meeting days) where they can be Subjects again, not Objects of measurement.