Florals for spring. Groundbreaking.

Last Saturday night, I went out on a double daughter-mom date to watch The Devil Wears Prada 2. We have been looking forward to the sequel for quite some time and loved watching how the characters have evolved over the past 20 years. If you’ve seen the movie, you know that Miranda Priestly is notorious for instilling fear and making everyone walk on eggshells, all the time. In the movie, she is the most powerful woman in the fashion industry. She commands a room, but she lacks presence.

Glimmer of Inspiration ✨

We often confuse command with presence. Miranda Priestly is the ultimate example of this. She has the power to shift global markets and the money to build empires, yet her presence is actually a vacuum. She is closed up.

Watching her on screen with my daughter and our friends, I noticed that while she owns the room, she doesn't actually connect with the people in it. Her power acts as a shield to keep people at a distance. This style of leadership makes the team confused spectators instead of engaged players. Real leadership is more about showing up as yourself and finding those small moments to truly connect with the person in front of you. It is less about the grand performance and more about the quality of the conversation.

Lightbulb Moment 💡

This observation made me think about how we value our resources. People often say that time and money are our biggest currencies. We build complex systems to track them and save them and optimize them. However, as I sat there on that Saturday night, I realized we are missing the most critical currency of all: Presence.

It is easy to fill our schedules. We spend hours in meetings or staring at screens or trying to find solutions for the tasks in front of us. Yet, if we are not truly there, those moments often become just another transaction to get through. In the movie, Miranda has all the resources at her fingertips, and she is still bankrupt when it comes to human connection.

The interesting thing about presence is that it is not tied to a specific title or a seat at the boardroom table. It is a grounded, quiet confidence that is available to anyone at any stage of their career. When we are truly present, we are no longer commanding, we are invested in the situation and person in front of us.

Shine Brighter: Your Growth Challenge 🚀

Guarding our currency of presence is a choice we make every time we interact with someone. Being present is not about being available to everyone at all times or doing things for others until your battery is depleted.

Presence is simply about being fully invested in the situation and the person right in front of you.

It is the foundation for the clarity and perspective we need to lead well.

This week, I want to invite you to be present during your meetings. How?

You can do one or all of the following:

• Leave your phone on silent, upside down, or away from you during the meeting to avoid the temptation of looking at it.
• Don’t read emails immediately before your meeting so your mind isn't cluttered by other matters.
• Wait a few seconds after someone finishes speaking before you respond.

A Final Spark ✨

The patience it takes to be truly present is the same patience that builds trust in a team. It is a small, intentional shift that can change the way you connect with the people around you. You don't need a specific title to start guarding this currency; you just need the willingness to stop commanding and start investing in the moment. This kind of intentional practice is at the core of transformative leadership.

People often say that time and money are our biggest currencies. I think it is presence.

What do you think?

Here’s to finding your spark and letting it shine.

Karen.