Most mornings throughout the year, you can find me at Druridge Bay. I'll have one dog in tow, the other in the water acting part seal.
The beach shape-shifts daily thanks to the sea: Sometimes wild, sometimes resonant, sometimes windswept and a bit battered, and sometimes calm like glass. This moment of pause is crucial for me – a reset button.
How is this relevant to leadership presence? Remember – how we show up is how we lead!
Our daily lives are full of busy. Busy at home, at work; busy seems to be a badge of honour! I’ve lost count of the leaders I work with who turn up to a meeting stressed out, unprepared, as they simply have no space think.
We’re not built well to cope with busy. In the mid 50s research by George Miller found we had a limited ability to process data – only between 5 and 9 pieces of information at any given moment, including sounds, images, experiences, physical sensations, smell and taste. This was supported by psychologist Alan Baddeley who maintained executive function, our ability to process information in the moment was limited, leading to repeated research resulting in Sweller’s theory of Cognitive Load in 1988.
Fast forward to present day, and the impact of smart phones is evident. Research for Nature Magazine in 2023 shows that our attention span has been negatively impacted by smart phones due to their notifications, distractions with short form content and our need to ‘check in’. Add the distractions we have at work, emails, notifications, teams messages – is it any wonder our people are distracted, stressed out and struggle to process at work?
Pressing Pause
As leaders then, it’s important to cultivate that pause for ourselves and for our people, otherwise our distraction adds to their distraction. Being conscious of how we present ourselves, how we show up is crucial.
We need to recognize that like beaches, humans aren’t stuck in time. They change moment by moment, impacted by the sea of things that are buffeting them around, and this impacts their emotions. The person we talked to yesterday, won’t be the same person today and we need to forget the version of them we had when we last left them.
Instead we need to meet them how and where they are now. And we do that through and by our presence.
How to cultivate presence
1. Consider your stance
You set the tone with your presence, how you show up. Begin by checking your physical and mental posture-are you distracted, rushed, or disengaged? Presence starts with self-awareness. Calm your inner noise, slow your pace, and show up fully. The way you enter a room or virtual call speaks volumes so take those moments to prepare before you do.
2. Create the space to be present
Presence requires intention – how are you going to be? Turn meetings into moments of genuine connection by removing distractions and honouring the people in front of you. No lap tops, switch off your phone or put it away, turn off your notifications on every device (I’d say permanently) and focus. Presence isn’t passive-it’s a conscious choice and people value it.
3. Give people a good listening to
People are rarely asking for advice, they often just want to be heard. True listening is rare. Go beyond hearing words-notice tone, body language, and what’s left unsaid. Validate their perspective without rushing to respond.
In our connected world, we forget the value of interpersonal connection. If we spend as much time on creating that as we do on our devices – what difference would we make?
Annabel is an Executive and Team Coach, Leadership Facilitator and Coach Supervisor. If you would value a thinking space to discuss issues further, why not reach out to Annabel for a chat via LinkedIn, on annabel@successfultraining.co.uk, or visit www.successfultraining.co.uk