Presence follows the problem, not the priority

Hi Nik,

Most weeks, a leader's presence goes wherever the problems are. This one's about putting it where it matters before something goes wrong, and the move takes about five minutes.

This week in the field

Under sustained pressure, a lot of leaders retreat into execution. The diary fills with forecast reviews, escalations and individual fixes, and presence becomes something that happens when there's a problem. It's usually efficiency, not avoidance, but the team can't tell the difference.

What it means in practice

When presence is only reactive, teams tend to read it as avoidance and fill the gaps themselves. When it's predictable, they stop guessing about priorities and decisions move faster.

One thing to try

I created the CODE Performance System™ to give you clarity, and the tools to make it happen. Open your diary for next week and pick the one moment where you being there would clear up the most guesswork, such as a team meeting, a deal review or a new joiner's first week. Book it before anything else goes in. Then, just before you walk in, ask yourself what the team needs from you: direction, a decision, calm under pressure, or a standard to reinforce. From the CODE Performance System™ Leadership Visibility and Presence playbook, with the Leadership Visibility Planning worksheet if you want to go further.

Takes about 5 minutes. You'll notice you walk in knowing why you're there, and the team does too.

The question to sit with

Where does your team see you most, and is that where they need you most?

Curious where you'd score on this? Take the free CODE Leadership Scorecard, five minutes, free.