Our Presence — We Must Be Engaged!

Being fully present during conversations with team members, listening without an agenda, judgment, or planning what we will say – this is a gift.

In our personal lives, we are called to be good citizens, respecting and caring about our fellow women and men. In our business lives we are similarly called to be good team members, whatever our position, whether CEO, technician or intern – and that we respect, encourage, and help our team members and other colleagues. This is being fully present as leaders.

Deepak Chopra, in his book, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, offers that we must honor others by being present with them: listening with care and being kind. In fact, he says one must always offer a gift upon greeting someone. Sometimes that may mean a tangible gift. More often, it is the gift of our presence – a warm smile, a friendly handshake, an embrace, or a kind hello in greeting.

Chopra offers that success is not about money or power, as those who are so consumed never have satisfaction; they always want more. Yet those who are present in their relationships can gain great satisfaction as they help others succeed. This is servant leadership – being present for others, encouraging, mentoring, teaching, and coaching. 

It takes humility and inner-confidence to appreciate and gain our satisfaction from the growth and success of others. This is true leadership!

Our true calling in business includes helping others. Yet, why then does a Gallup poll reveal that four out of five people in business feel underappreciated, and more than 70% feel they are not fully engaged in their work?

The reasons are varied. Some managers are insecure, or not as skillful at relating to people; others are caught up in their title, power or compensation. And a great many managers are simply too busy. They are spending an inordinate amount of time in meetings and often are more present with their computers and smartphones than they are with their people. It is estimated that senior managers spend from 50% to 75% of their time in meetings.

AS LEADERS, WE ARE SIGNAL SENDERS

What signal does it send to our people when we are in our office most of our days and not out with our people?

These are the people doing the work of our companies. As a leader, we must realize that our people are also our clients – our internal clients!

Managers focus first on numbers, while leaders focus first on people.

Highly effective leaders genuinely care about their people, their ideas and their success and, with their presence, they let their people know that they care.