I got a little carried away last week…

I was in a session with a client who’s working on becoming a more present and effective communicator with his team. We were talking about listening; not just hearing words, but actually tuning in, being fully there.

I offered a challenge:

“What if you treated every interaction like it was the most important thing happening in that moment?”

Then I kept going. I started going off; painting a picture of how every conversation could be like a brick in the foundation of a relationship. And how, over time, those bricks could build something solid and beautiful. I was fired up. He was quiet. 

Eventually, he paused and said,
“That’s a lot to process.”

And he was right.

In my enthusiasm, I lost awareness of where he was at. I was speaking from my excitement, not from presence. I was trying to teach something, instead of meeting him where he was.

In that moment, I recognized I was attached. Outcome-driven. Focused more on getting the point across than being of service.

So I named it. I slowed down. I came back.

Here’s my reflection on the matter:

Being present doesn’t mean saying the right thing.
It means tuning in to what’s needed, and what’s enough, in the moment.

Sometimes that means offering a powerful reframe.
Sometimes it means just holding space.

I don’t think the impact of our leadership is in what or how much we say.
I think it’s in how fully we show up.

– Dom