Why Presence Is the Leadership Skill That Will Define the Future of Work
Suzette West
Translating research into real-world leadership solutions that build team coherence, mutual trust, and aligned vision.
Episode 12 — The A-Player Adventure Podcast By Suzette West Founder of the A-Player Alignment Accelerator™ | Creator of The A-Player Adventure Podcast | Strategic Guide for Coherence-Centered Cultures | Devoted to Transforming Leadership from the Inside Out—with Presence, Precision, and Heart
In times of uncertainty, one quality consistently distinguishes effective leaders: presence.
Not charisma. Not hierarchy. Not top-down control, or the exertion of force.
But the ability to remain calm, grounded, and responsive when others are overwhelmed. The ability to create and hold space—physically and emotionally—for clarity, collaboration, and trust to emerge.
In Episode 12 of The A-Player Adventure Podcast, I explore presence not as a soft skill or personality trait but as a strategic leadership capacity grounded in science, leadership development, and lived realities.
From Reaction to Regulation
What many leaders experience as burnout, disengagement, or poor communication is often at the base of a deeper issue: dysregulation.
According to the Institute of HeartMath (McCraty, 2015), the ability to be present—truly present—is tied to a measurable physiological state called coherence. This alignment between the heart, brain, and nervous system enables clarity in decision-making, steady communication, and emotional regulation.
Coherence is a leadership asset.
When leaders cultivate coherence, they model presence. When they model presence, the energy they exude radiates their authenticity, which builds trust. And when trust is strong, performance follows.
Bridging in the Face of Complexity
In this episode, I introduce the concept of the leader as a bridge—not only across departments or roles but across moments of tension, transition, or uncertainty.
In times of complexity and uncertainty, an emotionally regulated internal state becomes more than a personal asset—it becomes a stabilizing force that connects individuals, teams, and the broader organizational mission. This is where emotional intelligence evolves into leadership coherence, and where leadership coherence becomes the foundation for team coherence. When that connection is understood and intentionally cultivated, it creates the conditions for organizational coherence—a state where trust, alignment, and collective performance are not only possible but also sustainable. Recognizing this natural progression of coherence—from personal to leadership to team to organization—is critical. Without it, leaders may chase isolated outcomes without realizing that the true lever for change begins within.
This capacity is especially crucial in today’s fast-paced and fast-evolving workplaces, where stress and fragmentation have become the norm. Emotionally intelligent, self-aware, and present leaders do more than manage teams—they become a galvanizing force within the organizational system. Their presence ripples outward, stabilizing culture, clarifying direction, and creating space for trust to grow. These leaders are not just valuable—they are transformative. They generate measurable returns on the investment of time, resources, and the sustained effort required to build organizational coherence at scale. But coherence is not accidental. It depends on a leadership team’s capacity to organize around shared principles and sustain alignment over time. And it is presence that empowers these efforts, making clarity of vision possible, emotional regulation consistent, and momentum-building sustained.
Workplace Wellness As Organizational Coherence
HR, by its very nature, sits at the heart of human capital and the wise stewardship of people. It is uniquely positioned to lead not just culture initiatives, but organizational coherence itself. When seen through this lens, HR is no longer just a policy enforcer, nor is it merely the “administrative arm.” HR becomes the coherence “seed”—the vital origin point from which a new way of working, relating, and performing can grow.
To take up this mantle, HR leaders must first do the inner work of coherence themselves. They must cultivate presence, emotional regulation, and aligned decision-making—not as a task, but as a way of being. Only then can they effectively champion coherence across the system. In this way, HR becomes the Sherpa—the guide who plants the seed, nurtures its growth, and walks with and alongside teams as they navigate the terrain of transformation.
This is not about launching another wellness initiative or going to another offsite.
It is about redefining workplace wellness as organizational coherence in action. By integrating principles from community-based participatory research (CBPR, nd), such as sharing power and ownership, as well as appreciative inquiry (Cockell and McArthur-Blair, 2020), and lived experience, HR can move beyond compliance and become a living bridge between leadership, the workforce, and the organization's cultural future.
When presence is cultivated at the center of HR, the organization has a chance to blossom from the inside out.
Strategic Reflection for Leaders
To close, I offered a simple question.
What becomes possible when you lead from a place of deep presence?
Because how you show up internally will determine what is possible externally.
In the next episode, Episode 13, of the A-Player Adventure, we explore "Holding the Line: The Inner Work of Leading Through Crisis."
You can subscribe to the A-Player Adventure Podcast and get notified when Episode 13 goes live.
References
Cockell, J., & McArthur-Blair, J. (2020). Appreciative inquiry in higher education: A transformative force. FriesenPress.
Community-based Participatory Research (CBPR): Towards Equitable Involvement of Community in Psychology Research. (nd). PubMed Central. Retrieved May 21, 2025, from https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6054913/
Heart Coherence. (nd). HeartMath Institute. Retrieved May 21, 2025, from https://www.heartmath.org/heart-coherence
McCraty, R. (2015). Chapter 01: Heart-Brain Communication. HeartMath Institute. Retrieved June 4, 2025, from https://www.heartmath.org/research/science-of-the-heart/heart-brain-communication/
Watkins, M. (2019). Mutual Accompaniment and the Creation of the Commons. Yale University Press.