Presence Over Words: The True Power of Support

A note to young leaders.

I’m amused by how much effort we all put into the content of our speech, when in reality, it’s the quality of our presence that has the biggest impact.

And the deeper someone’s pain, the less we should say.

Just show up.

If someone just sent a poorly worded email to a client, you can coach them for twenty minutes.

But if their mother just suffered a stroke, show up and shut up.

In times of shock or grief or suffering – words are more likely to wound than to heal. At times like these, people need your shoulder much more than your words.

Tender pauses speak when words are all too weak.