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The ability to be completely in the moment and flexible enough to handle the unexpected

Eighty percent of success in life is showing up.

Woody Allen

ON SEPTEMBER 11, 2001, AS ALL OF US WATCHED THE UNFOLDING tragedy on television, a crucial aspect of leadership became crystal clear.

It was comforting to see Mayor Rudy Giuliani of New York on the scene. His simple presence and concern reassured the country. In contrast, everyone wondered about the president. Was he all right? Where was he? His absence left a void.

Through no fault of his own, President Bush was missing for most of that terrible day. Believing with good reason that the president was in danger, the secret service put him on Air Force One to take him out of harm's way. Unfortunately, the effect was to remove him from public view when the country desperately needed his visible presence.

Leaders need to "be present," and being literally, physically present is the fundamental meaning of that term. We're always surprised at how many leaders we encounter who spend most of their time in their offices or on "executive row." They seldom show themselves to those they lead. It was over twenty years ago that the groundbreaking book In Search of Excellence pointed out the virtues of "management by walking around." Mayor Giuliani certainly demonstrated the wisdom of that practice.

More than showing up

But being present means more than just physical presence, important as that is. It means being present in the moment focused totally and completely on what is happening right here and right now. It means, when you're with people, giving them your full attention, so that they will feel recognized and motivated. When you're not present to the people you lead, it weakens their willingness to commit.

And being present also means being flexible, able to deal spontaneously with rapid change. Think of being present as a focused but flexible dance with the world in which the leader can instantly change step or tempo as the music changes.

In the days following September 11, President Bush tended to the country's wounds, and we sensed, particularly as he spoke to the rescuers at Ground Zero, with his arm around a fireman, that he was present to them (and all of us) in that moment, in spite of all the other national concerns on his mind. Someone handed him a bullhorn and he began to speak. "Can't hear you!" the crowd called. He tried again. "I can't hear you!" the crowd called again. "I can hear you," he answered. "I can hear you. The rest of the world hears you." It was a moment, as a journalist later wrote, that "summed up, with simple eloquence, the nation's gratitude to these men and women."

A few years ago we worked with Margaret, the head of a biotech company. On several occasions we attended Margaret's meetings with her staff, all of them senior managers themselves. Her entry never failed to produce the same response it was as if a surge of electricity had walked in. That spark perked everyone up. Eyes and attention focused on her, waiting eagerly for what was next.

In contrast, when Howard, who worked for Margaret, entered a meeting of his people, a somber fog would settle over the group. Any life and energy in the room would dissipate like the last bubbles from a glass of warm beer.

Margaret always came into meetings focused on the people there and the work to be done. She began with a series of unplanned questions, sometimes personal, sometimes business related, and people had to be on their toes. There was humor and wit; people laughed a lot. Howard, on the other hand, always seemed distracted. He would start by shuffling his papers, barely noticing the people around the table. He might even begin the first agenda item without looking up and making eye contact. In Howard's meetings no one ever laughed.

Here was the difference: Margaret was present. Howard was not. Margaret's meetings woke you up. Howard's put you to sleep.

Being present comes first

Being present is fundamental to the work of an actor. The worst insult you can give an actor is that he "phoned in" his performance, that he wasn't present, that he simply reeled off his lines and hit his marks. Being fully present is the first requirement of acting be there, in the moment, alive, energized. From that quality springs all else in the theater. So it should come as no surprise that actors spend a large amount of time training to be completely focused and concentrated in the moment.

We're sometimes asked why actors need to be present. The words they speak are provided in the script. How they move, what they physically do, is worked out in rehearsal or specified in stage directions. Everything is prescribed. So why do they have to be "present?"

Imagine you're an actor in a romantic drama. In the middle of the play, you split up with your beloved. You believe the relationship is over forever. It's the darkest day you can imagine. You'll never be happy again. At least that's what your character thinks. You, the actor, know better, of course, because you've read the script. You know at the end you'll be back together and live happily ever after. Knowing that, how can you authentically portray the end-of-the-world, I'll-never-be-happy-again grief your character feels? Only by being so fully submerged in your character, in the moment, that you literally don't "know" until the end how the story comes out.

So, Being Present is the starting point of our PRES model for leadership Presence. At the same time, the simple act of being present can be transformative, can lead to great joy, and to the appreciation of each moment as it arises. The discipline of Being Present allows us to find calm in the most difficult situations and to appreciate being alive in the midst of great chaos.

There is a Zen story that captures the notion of Being Present:

A man runs through the jungle chased by a hungry tiger. He comes to a cliff and grabs a vine hanging over the edge. He looks down and sees another tiger waiting below. Two mice begin to gnaw through his vine. He has only moments to live. He sees a berry growing from the cliff before him. He plucks it and drops it in his mouth. It is the sweetest, juiciest berry he's ever eaten.

Copyright © 2003 by Gail Evans, Published by Gotham Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., all rights reserved, reprinted with permission from the publisher.

Tags: Management & Leadership

About the Author

Kathy Lubar and Belle Linda Halpern, cofounders of The Ariel Group, have instructed more than 30,000 executives from hundreds of companies through their workshops. Lubar is a professional actress and cofounder of Boston's New Repertory Theater.

About the Author

Belle Halpern performs nationwide as an actress and singer and has taught music students at Harvard University. Both live in the Boston area, where The Ariel Group is based.