Find a way of having presence

Working in a team it’s important to find a way of having presence

It can be easy to think presence is about being around a lot. Always connected or online.

It’s not. It’s you and your team having a sense of each other. And what you’re up to. Or not.

Presence can be being online together. But presence can also be silent. And a feeling of connection.

Strong presence can be a hard won thing but it’s built through simple things.

It’s clear communication when you’re heads down, not around or what you’re tackling.

It’s doing the work to make your efforts open and collaborative.

At it’s most simple it’s:

• Making clear what you’re tackling that day or week
• Telling people when you’re around
• Being clear on what you can handle
• Asking for help or a second opinion. And willing to offer a second opinion
• Speaking up when things aren’t clear
• Being able to say why you’ve done what you’ve done
• Being clear why you’ve done what you’ve done

It can be daunting to make yourself heard and your boundaries obvious as a junior colleague. My advice is always start with when you’re around or not. And the rest can follow.

You do not have to be available all day and at every hour. Nor do you need to have your camera on and always be on a call to have presence.

Right now that’s the biggest mistake teams are making. The need to always be online to get a sense of presence. But meeting notes written up, a prototype or a question in a thread will do much more for your team’s presence. Your team’s ability to sense what each other is doing.

Presence is just a sense that people know you’re around and what you’re doing.

Be clear on what you’re tackling. When you’re around or not. Find a way of having presence