The holidays have a way of reminding us how distracted we've become.
We gather with people we love?but our attention is divided. We nod while scrolling, listen while planning, and check our phones more often than we check in with the people sitting right beside us.
In leadership?and in life?presence is the rarest and most valuable gift you can give.
Leadership Starts with Attention
You can't lead people you're not truly with.
Presence is more than proximity. It's attention, focus, and intention. It's making the person in front of you feel like, for that moment, they're the only person who matters.
We tend to think leadership is about doing more?more strategy, more output, more meetings. But often, the most effective leaders are the ones who stop doing and start being. They look people in the eye. They listen. They connect.
Presence turns leadership from performance into a relationship.
The Cost of Distraction
The truth is, distraction is leadership's biggest thief. It steals focus, connection, and trust.
If people around you feel unseen or unheard, they stop bringing their best selves to you. Teams disengage. Relationships drift. Family moments slip by.
As John Maxwell says, "You can't influence people you ignore."
The world doesn't need more leaders in a hurry?it needs more leaders who notice.
The Power of Showing Up
Back in 7 Life Lessons from the Trailer Park, I wrote that showing up is half the battle. That lesson applies far beyond the workplace.
Showing up means being where your feet are. It means setting down the phone, pausing the to-do list, and giving someone the gift of undivided attention.
You don't need to fix every problem or fill every silence. You need to be there?fully.
Presence builds trust faster than talent.
This Season, Be Present on Purpose
As we move through the holidays, remember: leadership doesn't pause for Christmas. But it does look different.
Maybe this season is less about leading meetings and more about leading moments?about slowing down enough to notice people who are tired, hurting, or just needing someone to listen.
Here are three simple ways to practice presence this week:
- Put the phone down. For an hour, a dinner, or a day?be fully there.
- Listen without planning your reply. Let silence be part of the conversation.
- Show gratitude in person. A simple "thank you" lands deeper when it's eye to eye.
The best leaders aren't remembered for what they said?they're remembered for how they showed up.
Make It Count
Leadership starts at home. Presence begins with people, not platforms.
So this Christmas, give the people around you what they actually want?you.
Your focus. Your attention. Your time.
Because long after the gifts are opened and the decorations are packed away, the moments when you truly showed up are the ones they'll remember most.