People don’t trust perfection; they trust presence.

People don’t trust perfection; they trust presence.

Some leaders spend so much energy trying to look flawless that they forget what their people really need.

Nobody relates to perfection. It feels distant, untouchable, even fake. But presence? That’s real.

Presence means you’re here. You’re listening. You’re engaged in the moment instead of polishing the image of being the “perfect” leader.

I’ve watched teams transform when their leaders stopped trying to have all the right answers and started showing up with genuine presence. Suddenly, conversations got deeper. Trust grew stronger. People leaned in instead of pulling away.

Because trust isn’t built on being perfect. It’s built on being human. And people don’t follow the leader who looks like they’ve got it all figured out—they follow the leader who’s willing to walk beside them.

So the question isn’t: “How perfect do I look as a leader?”
The question is: “Am I fully present for the people I lead?”

Perfection distances. Presence connects.