The most pressing challenge facing high-performing organizations today is not strategy. It is trust. And trust is built or broken in the micro-moments of human interaction: the tone of a managing partner’s voice during a difficult deposition, the way a principal walks through the cafeteria, the poise of a first-year associate presenting to senior leadership, the groundedness of a new leader navigating her first high-stakes negotiation.
Research from McKinsey & Company reveals that organizations with strong psychological safety are 27% more likely to outperform peers in profitability and innovation. The Harvard Business Review reports that leaders rated high in interpersonal presence generate up to 40% greater team engagement than those rated lower. These are not soft numbers. They are competitive advantages.
When presence is systemic rather than individual, organizations gain something far more durable: a culture in which people stay, grow, speak up, and perform at the edge of their capability because they feel safe enough to do so.
I know this is possible for two reasons. First, as a performance professional in numerous mediums (figure skating, stage acting, dance, puppetry, magic, singing, and 5-star restaurant table service), I had to develop presence along with the skills necessary to master each medium. I recall having acted for decades before getting good enough to become a paid union actor. I drew on what I learned to coach figure skaters to the international and Olympic level.
Second, I know this is possible because I learned about presence from pioneers whose work helped shape the modern understanding of leadership presence at the beginning of the 21st century.
While the language surrounding presence has evolved over time, its essence has remained remarkably consistent: the ability to authentically connect with one’s deepest self for the purpose of inspiring commitment, fostering trust, and generating buy-in toward a common goal.
Organizations that cultivate this quality create more than effective leaders. They create environments where people bring their best thinking, strongest contributions, and highest levels of engagement to the work they do together.
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