Speaker 1: Helping leaders motivate their people to a higher level of
Speaker 1: performance through strong human relations, team building, and golajiving. This
Speaker 1: is the seven Minute Leadership Podcast with your host Paul Fellavledo.
Speaker 2: Hello everyone, and welcome to the seven Minute Leadership Podcast.
Speaker 2: It's episode five twenty one. Today's episode hits a little
Speaker 2: closer to the heart. It's about something every leader, friend,
Speaker 2: and human being will face at some point. It's about
Speaker 2: what we do when someone we know loses someone they love,
Speaker 2: a family member, a close friend, or even a pet.
Speaker 2: When loss happens, most of us go into what I'll
Speaker 2: call default sympathy mode. We grab a card, We order flowers.
Speaker 2: Maybe we send an angel statue or a memorial lantern
Speaker 2: with an inspirational quote. We sign our name, maybe add
Speaker 2: thinking of you, and we send it off. It's not wrong,
Speaker 2: it's kind, it's thoughtful, But sometimes it's not what that
Speaker 2: person truly needs, because more often than not, what that
Speaker 2: person is really craving isn't presence. Its presence. Let's be honest.
Speaker 2: Grief is an isolating experience. The world keeps spinning, but
Speaker 2: for the person who's hurting, time feels frozen. They wake
Speaker 2: up in a quiet house, the chair at the table
Speaker 2: is empty, the leash is hanging by the door, but
Speaker 2: there's no one to take for a walk. It's the
Speaker 2: little moments that hit the hardest, and that's when your
Speaker 2: presence can mean more than anything wrapped in a bow
Speaker 2: or written in a card. And sometimes the most powerful
Speaker 2: thing you can do as a leader or as a
Speaker 2: friend is just show up. Sit next to them, don't
Speaker 2: try to fix anything, don't start with the cliches, just
Speaker 2: be there. You don't need to have the right words.
Speaker 2: In fact, there are no right words. Saying I don't
Speaker 2: even know what to say, but I'm here can be
Speaker 2: one of the most comforting things that you'll ever offer.
Speaker 2: This is where emotional intelligence meets human connections. It's easy
Speaker 2: to sign a condolence card from the team and move
Speaker 2: on with your day, but leadership isn't just about task
Speaker 2: lists in productivity. It's about people, real people with real
Speaker 2: lives who sometimes need a hand on their shoulder more
Speaker 2: than a signature on a card. If a member of
Speaker 2: your team loses someone, don't assume the group gesture covers it,
Speaker 2: stop by their office, call them, take them for coffee,
Speaker 2: give them time to talk or not talk. Presence is
Speaker 2: a quiet leadership skill that doesn't show up on your resume,
Speaker 2: but it's the one that people remember most when life
Speaker 2: falls apart. Think about the times that you've gone through loss.
Speaker 2: Maybe it was apparent, maybe it was your dog who
Speaker 2: was with you for fourteen years. Who do you remember most?
Speaker 2: The person who sent you a card or the one
Speaker 2: who sat with you when you couldn't find the words.
Speaker 2: There's a lesson here that goes beyond grief. Leadership isn't
Speaker 2: just showing up when it's convenient. It's showing up when
Speaker 2: it's uncomfortable, when the room is heavy, when emotions are raw.
Speaker 2: That's when people see your character, not your title. If
Speaker 2: you lead a team, here's a challenge for you. The
Speaker 2: next time someone on your team faces a loss. Pause
Speaker 2: before you do the usual, ask yourself, what would help
Speaker 2: this person feel seen and supported. Maybe that means a visit.
Speaker 2: Maybe it means giving them the space to take a
Speaker 2: few days without guilt. Maybe it means checking in again
Speaker 2: a few weeks later, long after the cards have stopped
Speaker 2: coming in. Because presence doesn't have an expiration date, the
Speaker 2: grief doesn't end after the funeral, and neither should your compassion.
Speaker 2: So as leaders, our presence has power. It tells people
Speaker 2: you matter, it says you're not alone, and in moments
Speaker 2: of loss, that message carries more weight than any thing
Speaker 2: that money can buy. So remember this. Sometimes your silence,
Speaker 2: you're listening, your simple presence in someone's hardest moments. Those
Speaker 2: are the real gifts, not the presence you buy and
Speaker 2: can hold, but the ones you can feel. This has
Speaker 2: been the seven Minute Leadership Podcast and I thank you
Speaker 2: for listening.
Speaker 1: For more Paul Fell of Alito Podcasts, visit paulfellowalito dot
Speaker 1: com