Stop and Smell the Coffee: A Leadership Lesson in Presence

It had been a wild morning. The kind where your alarm seems to blare earlier than usual, your inbox floods before you've had a chance to brush your teeth, and every traffic light conspires against you. After a rushed trip to the airport—juggling my laptop bag, responding to a variety of emails, and mentally rehearsing my afternoon presentation—I finally stopped at an in-airport coffee shop.

The woman behind the counter greeted me with a warm smile. "What can I get you?"

And just like that, my mind went blank.

It wasn't decision fatigue or the early hour. It was the realization that my mind and attention were hours into the future. In my head, I had already landed, traveled to the location, and was delivering my executive training session. I was everywhere except where I actually stood—in front of a patient barista waiting for my order.

The Present Moment: Leadership's Blind Spot

In that moment of mental absence, I realized I was violating one of leadership's core principles: be present.

The barista noticed my momentary confusion and smiled. "Take your time," she said. "Looks like you've got a lot on your mind."

We shared a laugh—that knowing kind between two humans acknowledging life's hectic pace. She was kind and helpful while I finally selected a cup of black coffee and a croissant. But her simple observation had already triggered something deeper.

Have you ever caught yourself physically in one place but mentally in three others? How did it affect your interactions?

As leaders, we're trained to think ahead. Strategic planning, forecasting, anticipating market shifts, preparing for the next client meeting, or planning tomorrow's team check-in. Our calendars and minds are often filled with what's next rather than what's now.

The Pause That Refreshes

When she handed me my coffee, I did something I hadn't done in longer than I care to admit: I literally stopped. I paused. I smelled the coffee—actually inhaled its rich aroma rather than just consuming it as fuel. I took my croissant to a nearby table and, for five precious minutes, enjoyed simply being present.

No email. No presentation review. No mental rehearsal of the day's challenges.

Just coffee, a croissant, and the hum of the airport around me.

In that brief interval, I noticed things I would have missed otherwise: the barista training a new employee with remarkable patience, a child's delight at watching passers-by while trudging through the terminal, the subtle shift in my own energy when I allowed myself to fully inhabit the moment.

The Leadership Cost of Future Focus

When we're too focused on the future, we miss the present. This isn't just a wellness platitude—it's a leadership liability with real costs.

Consider what happens when our minds are constantly racing ahead:

• Missed signals from your team: When team members try sharing concerns or insights but we're mentally rehearsing for the next meeting instead of truly listening
• Overlooked opportunities right in front of you: Those moments when casual conversations could reveal new possibilities, but our attention is fixed on predetermined objectives
• Team disengagement: The subtle withdrawal that happens when people sense we're physically present but mentally elsewhere
• Decision fatigue: Making choices from a distracted state leads to poorer outcomes—as numerous studies on attention and decision-making quality have confirmed

As leaders, we've all experienced moments when being mentally ahead of ourselves caused us to miss what was happening right in front of us.

Balancing Strategic Thinking with Present Awareness

Here's the tricky part: leadership requires both future thinking AND present awareness. It's not an either/or proposition.

I've found that leaders who balance these skills best tend to compartmentalize deliberately. They set aside specific time for future-focused strategic thinking, and when they're with their teams or making decisions, they bring their full attention to the present. This doesn't mean they don't plan ahead—they just don't do it at the expense of the moment.

The Present-Focused Leader: Practical Approaches

The most effective leaders I admire have mastered the art of presence. They have the remarkable ability to make you feel like you're the only person in the room when they're speaking with you. They listen with their full attention. They observe with curiosity rather than judgment.

This quality isn't mystical. It's a practice that can be cultivated:

Small Transitions Matter

Before entering a meeting or conversation, take 30 seconds to center yourself. I now use the walk to a meeting room as a transition ritual—no phone, just awareness of my surroundings and a few deep breaths.

Listen First, Formulate Later

Make it a habit to hear people out completely before your mind starts crafting responses. When I catch myself forming answers before someone's finished speaking (which still happens regularly), I mentally press pause and refocus on their words.

Create Environmental Reminders

A CEO I coached uses a small red dot sticker on her laptop. Another sales professional keeps a smooth stone on his desk that he touches before making important calls to create intentional focus during the sales process. What might work for you?

Real Impact, Not Just Feel-Good Theory

The benefits aren't just theoretical—they're practical. When we're fully present, we notice subtle cues in conversations, pick up on hesitations that might signal concerns, and create space for quieter voices to contribute.

My own experience with practicing greater presence has led to more meaningful connections with team members and better outcomes in meetings where complex issues are being discussed.

The Coffee Reminder

Since that morning at the airport, I've kept my small coffee bean reminder on my desk. It's nothing fancy—just a single bean in a tiny jar. But the reminder is priceless when my day gets chaotic.

I've added other presence practices too: two deep breaths before important calls, a no-device rule during one-on-ones, and a simple check-in question I ask myself before meetings: "Where is my attention right now?"

Sometimes leadership wisdom arrives in unexpected packages—like a moment of confusion at a coffee counter. The barista probably doesn't know she delivered one of the most valuable leadership lessons I've received recently: that the present moment contains opportunities we miss when our minds are stuck in the future.

So the next time you find yourself rushing from one commitment to the next, mind already racing ahead to future challenges, remember to stop. Pause. Perhaps even smell the coffee.

What present moment might you be missing right now? And what small practice might help you show up more fully for it?