Leadership Lives in Your Presence, Not Your Position
Whether leading a team, a project, or yourself, YOUR presence shapes how others move around you.
Why It Matters.
How you show up—your presence—is part of the organizational ecosystem.
Change doesn’t have to start with sweeping restructures or new key performance indicators (KPIs). It can begin with something smaller, quieter—and possibly more powerful: your presence.
In dynamic or complex organizations, especially when you're more removed from the day-to-day operations, it’s tempting to lead through dashboards, updates, and meetings. These tools matter: they help you monitor progress and surface what’s measurable.
The data only tells part of the story.
The rest lives in the people—their connection to the work, how safe they feel to speak up, and whether they see themselves reflected in the bigger mission. These things don't show up in metrics or meeting notes, but they shape everything.
Your presence speaks in subtleties:
How you carry yourself.
Your example (what you model).
Your perspective.
These subtle cues, often unspoken, set the emotional tone of your team. They signal what's safe to say, what gets noticed, and what gets quietly dismissed.
“Leadership presence isn’t about taking up more space—it’s about being intentional with the space you occupy.”
If you’ve noticed friction on your team—or even that uneasy feeling of "something’s off"—pause before you start mapping solutions. Try starting here:
1. Get Curious About What You’re Missing
We all have blind spots. When we’re on the hook for results, we tend to look outward: who’s dropping the ball? What’s behind the missed targets?
Consider this. What if the culture you observe reflects something about the way you show up?
Are you accessible when it counts—or only when there’s a fire to put out?
Do people know what you care about most, beyond hitting targets?
Could your “hands-off” style come across as distance instead of trust?
2. Reflect on What You Model
You might not be in the trenches, but your team is still watching. They pay attention to how you respond when things go sideways, how you juggle competing priorities, and whether you actually practice the boundaries you talk about.
Presence isn’t about being everywhere. It’s about being clear, grounded, and consistent in your leadership approach.
Ask yourself:
How do I validate the tone that I want to set?
Do I create clarity, or do I unintentionally fuel ambiguity?
What values do I embody, not just state?
Then, ask your team members; check for alignment and opportunities.
3. Revisit Expectations—Yours and Theirs
Inconsistent expectations weaken trust; unrealistic expectations can lead to burnout. Incongruent expectations. Incongruent expectations (when you don’t model what you expect) destroy morale.
Effective leadership means communicating clear and realistic expectations for yourself and others.
The big picture: looking inward.
You already spend time analyzing your organization—tracking what others do, where things break down, and how teams can improve.
What if some of the most powerful answers are closer than you think?
The kind of leadership that moves the needle does not start with a louder voice. It begins with a deeper presence. It's not about controlling more but connecting better. And sometimes, it's less about fixing everything and more about noticing what energy, assumptions, or intentions you bring into the room.
So instead of asking what else needs to change, consider asking:
“Who am I right now?”
Leadership isn’t a title, a task list, or a strategy session.
It’s an everyday act of showing up—on purpose, with presence, and with care.
ROI Checkpoint
Reflection. In the spaces I lead, Who Am I Right Now?
Take a moment to notice how your current presence shows up across your teams. Are you showing up with clarity, curiosity, and consistency—or with stress, detachment, or over-performance?
Observation. Where am I influencing dynamics without realizing it?
Look for the subtle cues—tone, timing, body language, response patterns. What emotional tone do you create by being in the room (or not)? What does your presence signal to others about what’s safe, urgent, or meaningful?
Implementation. What’s one thing I can adjust this week in how I show up?
👉Choose a single behavior to embody with intention this week.
Whether it’s being more visibly present during critical moments, asking more open-ended questions, or modeling calm under pressure.
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