It was meant to be a seamless workshop. Weeks of planning. Every five-minute block carefully thought out. A team of C-suite leaders ready to deepen trust, build candor, and grow together.
And then—moments before we began—one of the key executives didn’t show. A personal emergency had pulled her out at the last minute. The moment her absence was mentioned, the energy in the room shifted.
Chairs shifted. Side glances. Quiet frustration.The CEO looked over and said, “There’s no point starting without her.”
Just like that, the agenda fell apart.
It was a pivotal moment—and a common one in leadership.Plans unravel. Dynamics shift. Pressure rises.
And here’s the choice leaders face in moments like these:
Grip tighter, or drop into presence.
Why Presence is More Than a Buzzword
Presence isn’t about staying calm under pressure or pretending everything’s fine.
It’s about being fully with what is—even when (especially when) it’s not what you expected.
In that moment, the team didn’t need another structured activity. They didn’t need a workaround.They needed space.They needed a leader who could read the room, release the script, and respond to what was actually happening.
That’s what presence makes possible.
From Reaction to Choice
Without presence, most leaders default to reactivity:
- Pushing forward with what was planned
- Defending their position
- Avoiding discomfort
- Moving faster to regain control
But with presence, an entirely different path opens up:
- Pausing to assess what’s really needed
- Listening beneath the surface
- Responding from intention, not emotion
- Leading from clarity, not control
Presence creates the space between stimulus and response. That space is where leadership lives.
Leading at the Pace of Trust
What unfolded in that room wasn’t what was planned. It was something better.
By setting aside the agenda and tuning in to the group’s energy, the session became a different kind of success: honest, connected, real. Trust deepened—not because everything went perfectly, but because it didn’t, and the team stayed with what was true.
That’s the invitation for all leaders:
You don’t have to have all the answers.
You don’t need a perfect plan.
You just need to be here—really here—and choose the next right thing from presence.
Reflection for Leaders
- Where are you gripping to a plan that’s no longer serving the moment?
- What might shift if you paused and got present with what’s actually unfolding?
- What becomes possible when you respond from presence instead of reacting from pressure?
Presence isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s leadership in its most grounded form.
And it’s always available—one breath at a time.
