Dad said, “You can’t be present unless you’re present, kiddo.”
I attended elementary school on two Air Force bases. There are a few things that were different about attending school on the base. Sometimes, the lesson would be interrupted about once an hour by the roar of jets flying overhead. (Such a fantastic sound. You can’t understand if you didn’t grow up with it, but it is oddly calming.) And, in a base school, there was only one acceptable response when your name was called: “Present, sir” or “Present, ma’am.”
Once, after attending a parent-teacher conference, The Colonel sat me down to have a chat. “Mr. Perry says that you are consistently distracted in class, your mind wanders, and you doodle. Is that so?”
“Yes, sir. I’m sorry.”
“Kiddo, you can’t be present unless you’re present. Being physically present is just not enough. You can’t learn anything if you’re not paying attention.” Unfortunately, we had to have this conversation more than once, as I have mild ADD and am always chasing squirrels in my brain.
Any leadership position will pull us in 100 directions at any one time. It’s often very difficult to focus on only one thing at a time. While multitasking is an art all leaders have to master, it’s a practice that doesn’t serve us well when engaging with others. Having a one-on-one with a member of your team, hearing about your child’s day or your spouse’s day, or having lunch with a friend are all times when it’s essential to be in the moment.
You can’t be present unless you’re present, and you can’t be significant if you’re not fully present.
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