Presence over perfection: how leadership starts in the small moments.
It’s early August, and I’m writing this with my newborn son, Roddy, sleeping on my chest. The room is quiet, except for his steady breathing and the soft hum of a fan. My inbox is not quiet. My to-do list is… well, somewhere under a pile of muslins.
I’m currently on maternity leave, intentionally stepping back from the day-to-day running of my business so I can be present for this season of life. And yet, even while I’m out of the office, I’m still reflecting on what leadership means to me, and what kind of culture I want to nurture when I return.
If you’d asked me five years ago what leadership looked like, I probably would have said something about vision, strategy, and results. And while those things still matter, I’ve come to see that the true magic of leadership lies in something far simpler and far harder to fake: showing up.
Not just showing up in the big, glossy moments like the board meetings, the summits, the photo ops, but in the small, human ones. A text to check in. A meeting moved so someone can do the school run. Sitting in the discomfort of not having an answer, but still staying in the conversation.
Presence over perfection
These past few weeks have reminded me that “showing up” doesn’t always mean being at your desk, logging hours, or charging ahead with the next big project. For me right now, it looks like being present for my family, being kind to myself, and staying connected to my purpose without overextending.
I’ve learned that showing up doesn’t mean being perfect, or even being at 100%. It means being willing to meet people where they are, and allowing yourself to be met where you are too.
When I joined HiBob’s In Good Company community, this became a core part of my intention: to help create a space where we can show up as whole humans. Titles and targets aside, just the messy, meaningful truth of who we are.
The grace to be human
In many leadership conversations, grace isn’t spotlighted as a skill. But I believe it’s one of the most important ones we can cultivate. Grace for yourself when you drop a ball. Grace for your team when they’re stretched thin. Grace for the reality that life will keep throwing curveballs, and we won’t always catch them.
For me, this maternity leave is a living lesson in grace: learning to let go of control, to trust my team, and to believe that slowing down can actually strengthen leadership.
An invitation to you
If you’re part of In Good Company, I’d love to hear:
• When was the last time you felt truly seen at work?
• What did it take for you to show up as your whole self?
Drop me a message, share in the comments, or just reflect privately. These moments, big or small, are the heartbeat of cultures where people stay and thrive.
What I’m learning right now:
• Control is comforting, but trust is more powerful.
• Belonging isn’t built through bravado, but through care.
• Letting go doesn’t mean losing your identity; it can help you find it again.
So here’s to showing up. Not in every meeting or every milestone, but in the moments that matter most.
And in the words of Maya Angelou (it’s often attributed to her, and beautifully so): “People will forget what you said or did, but they will never forget how you made them feel.”