Presence Matters More than Strategy
Most founders start out running their business in react mode. Making decisions from urgency. Interpreting situations through the pressure of the moment. Bracing without even realizing it.
In my early years in business, this was my default too. I thought being a good leader meant moving fast, controlling all the variables, and pushing hard. I didn’t realize I was leading from fear, not presence. When you’re in survival mode, perception collapses. You don’t see what’s actually happening, instead you see danger everywhere. You don’t lead, you defend. You don’t create, you react.
When Presence Comes Online
There was a moment in my first business when I chose to evolve. Everything in me wanted to blame, to attack, to demand answers. At the time it felt justified. I was frustrated. I was tired. I was carrying the weight of everything. But this time I reached inside and brought my full presence online.
The noise quieted. The pressure dissolved. And I could finally perceive the truth of the moment without the distortion of fear, urgency, or survival. I let go of blame, accepted the situation, and looked for the message.
I realized I had outgrown the business model entirely. And for the first time, I could see it. I took full agency for the future of my business. And what made that possible wasn’t strategy, talent, or experience. It was my presence as the founder and CEO.
Presence isn’t just a state of calm. Presence is consciousness. It’s your inner authority. It’s when you move out of fight-or-flight and into the leadership dimension.
Presence Is Always Broadcasting
You always have presence. The question is whether it’s helping or hurting. When you’re reactive, your presence works against you. Your team feels it immediately. They scramble, they tighten, they mirror your urgency. But when you lead with conscious presence, people feel safe. Communication opens. Insight emerges. You lead differently. You see clearly and they do too.
Presence isn’t something you’re born with. It’s something you generate, and it’s always available to you. All it requires is the willingness to interrupt your patterns and ask different questions. These are the ones I return to again and again: they’ll pull you out of survival mode and back into conscious leadership.
Leading with Presence: 5 Practical Questions
- What’s actually happening here? Just the facts. Curiosity before conclusion.
- Which parts of this are mine? Inner authority instead of defensiveness.
- What did I assume? What did I overlook? Perception without ego or embarrassment.
- What does this moment require from me? Responsive, not reactive.
- What’s the energy I want to lead with? Intention guides action. Your presence elevates others.
These five questions create the space where conscious presence arises. They open your perception. They dissolve urgency. They reconnect you to your deeper wisdom. People can feel your inner strength and it encourages them to bring their best self forward too.
