Episode 264: Leadership Presence (Part 3) - The Interpersonal Work That Makes It Real

This is Part 3 of a three-part series on leadership presence.

In Episode 262, we explored the hidden cost of distraction and how trust and psychological safety erode when leaders aren’t fully present.

In Episode 263, we discussed how to engineer margin through calendar integrity, decision discipline, and clarity around your top priorities.

Now we bring it home.

Because presence isn’t performance.

Presence is connection.

In this episode, Darrin dives into the relational and interpersonal work that makes leadership presence genuine — not polished, not performative, but real.

You’ll learn:

1. Why presence is more than eye contact and good posture
2. The three foundations of genuine presence:
3. Attention
4. Curiosity
5. Emotional regulation
6. Why you cannot fake nervous system safety
7. The danger of listening to fix instead of listening to understand
8. Four practical signals of authentic presence you can use immediately
9. Why follow-up is one of the most powerful leadership moves you can make

Darrin also shares a story from his superintendent experience that highlights the difference between listening to correct and listening to comprehend.

Reflection Question: Where do you need to replace fixing with listening?

Thank you to our Amazing Sponsors

This episode is brought to you by HeyTutor, delivering high-impact, research-based tutoring that supports students while reducing leadership overwhelm. Connect with them at HeyTutor.com

This episode is also sponored by DigiCoach, helping leaders capture real-time instructional data, provide meaningful feedback, and build clarity through strong systems. Go to digicoach.com and tell them you heard about them here on the Leaning into Leadership podcast for special partner pricing.