You Can’t Delegate Presence

I wish I could tell you the exact moment this hit me. The meeting, the task, the date on the calendar. Trying to add value without just sending docs…
But I can’t.

Because it wasn’t just one moment. It was one of those moments — the kind that blends into a pattern.
The kind that creeps in when your workload is full, your calendar is pulsing, and your to-do list says, “Just send the doc.”

And you pause, hand hovering over the send button, thinking:

“Is this… enough?
Am I doing my job, or just forwarding work?”

Because there’s a fine line between strategic delegation and just looking like you’ve done bugger all.

I had done the work. The document was tight. The points were clear.
But something in me knew that presence still mattered.

So I joined the call.
Not to take over. Not to defend. Just… to be there.

To show I cared. To anchor the conversation.
To add the kind of context no bullet point ever really carries.

Because presence — real presence — can’t be handed off.

In a world of async work, inbox overload, and perfectly crafted PDFs, presence is still currency.
Not just in meetings, but in tone. In follow-up. In that quiet “I’ve got this” energy you can’t fake with a Slack message.

It doesn’t mean doing everything.
But it does mean showing up when it counts.

You can delegate tasks.
You can delegate decisions.
You can even delegate delivery.

But presence? That’s yours to carry.
And it’s heavier than it looks.