Why the Best Leaders Don’t Just Wrap Up — They Lift Others Up

Fridays are often treated like the finish line.
Everyone’s racing to close tabs, clear inboxes, and mentally log off.

But the best leaders see Friday as something more:

A moment to pause, reflect, and recognise.
Not for vanity — but for culture.
Not as a checklist — but as a ritual of presence.

Because real leadership isn’t how loud you are in the meeting.
It’s how seen others feel after working with you.

The Power of Recognition (Backed by Science)

Let’s talk data.

According to Gallup:

• Teams with high-recognition cultures experience 41% higher productivity
• Employees who feel recognised are 63% more likely to stay with their current employer
• 69% say they’d work harder if they felt more appreciated

Now add self-reflection into the mix.

Research from Harvard Business School found that employees who spent 15 minutes reflecting at the end of their workday performed 23% better than those who didn’t.

Together? Recognition + reflection creates:

✅ Stronger teams
✅ Smarter individuals
✅ Healthier cultures

This is the leadership presence that lasts.

Friday Challenge — Celebrate Someone, Reflect Yourself

🟩 When to Do It
📅 Every Friday — ideally before your team wraps for the week

🟩 What to Do
Take 5 minutes to do two powerful things:

1. Celebrate one team member’s specific contribution — either publicly or privately
2. Reflect on your own growth as a team member or leader this week

🟩 Examples of Celebration

• “Sarah, your clarity during that brainstorm helped everyone move forward — thank you.”
• “I appreciated how Alex followed up with the client when things felt unclear.”
• “Jade, your calm during the tech issue kept the team grounded — it mattered.”

🟩 Examples of Reflection

• “I noticed I spoke over others more than I intended — next week, I’ll practice pause.”
• “I kept quiet in the planning meeting — I want to speak with more confidence.”
• “I led with curiosity in our one-on-ones — and the energy felt more open.”

Why This Builds Real Leadership Presence

Leadership presence isn’t just about how you speak.
It’s about how others feel after working with you.

✅ Did they feel seen?
✅ Did they grow because of you?
✅ Did you model what you want others to embody?

By recognising someone and reflecting on yourself, you:

• Anchor the week in meaning
• Build a culture of appreciation (not competition)
• Model emotional intelligence
• Invite feedback and growth — without forcing it

It’s presence that builds people — and people that build the company.

What Skills This Builds

• Gratitude in action – building culture through small, intentional praise
• Emotional intelligence – reading team dynamics and responding well
• Growth mindset – reflecting without shame, and learning forward
• Culture shaping – showing others how to treat each other
• Leadership visibility – becoming someone others naturally follow

Pitfalls to Avoid

🚫 Being vague or generic
“Good job this week” does nothing. It disappears into noise.
🎯 Instead: Be specific and tie your praise to behaviour or impact.

🚫 Skipping it altogether
“I’m too busy” is often code for “I didn’t prioritise connection.”
🎯 Instead: Make this part of your Friday rhythm — even 3 minutes is enough.

🚫 Turning it into performance
Don’t praise to look good. Do it to make someone else feel good.
🎯 Instead: Keep it personal, not performative.

🚫 Judging your reflection
You’re not here to criticise. You’re here to observe and evolve.
🎯 Instead: Reflect with kindness, not critique.

How to Do This as a Team Ritual

This is one of the easiest leadership rituals to embed in any team — remote, hybrid, or in-person.

🟩 Try These:

• Create a #friday-shoutouts Slack channel
• End every Friday team call with one recognition + one reflection
• Use it in 1:1s as a final 3-minute wrap-up structure
• Turn it into a shared Notion doc or Google Form for weekly review

Culture isn’t built in offsites.
It’s built in the last 5 minutes of a normal Friday.

Why Friday Matters More Than Monday

Most people focus on how the week starts.
But how it ends determines how your people feel about the next one.

✅ Did the week feel seen?
✅ Was growth acknowledged?
✅ Was effort appreciated?

When your team ends strong, they start the next week with:

• Higher engagement
• More clarity
• Greater psychological safety
• Stronger collaboration
• Less burnout

Common Questions

❓ What if I’m not in a leadership role?
Perfect. This challenge doesn’t require a title — only intention.
You don’t need permission to celebrate someone. You just need presence.

❓ What if I can’t think of anything to praise?
Look smaller. Did someone bring calm energy?
Did someone hold a boundary, simplify something, or help others stay on track? That counts.

❓ Won’t this feel awkward at first?
Like anything worth doing, yes. But awkward fades — and what’s left is culture.

❓ How do I keep this consistent?
Attach it to a Friday trigger — before logging off, before sending your weekly wrap-up, or after your team meeting.

❓ How do I do this if I’m the only one doing it?
Start anyway. Your consistency will create curiosity — and others will follow. Always.

Real-World Application by Role

🔹 Managers: Open your team check-out call with this. Close with a shared moment of praise.
🔹 Team Leads: Make this your default Slack Friday post — and encourage others to tag in.
🔹 New Starters: Celebrate quietly. DM someone or share one reflection to your lead — this shows maturity.
🔹 Executives: Praise cross-functional collaboration. Model growth by reflecting on your own decision-making.

How This Strengthens Leadership Presence Long-Term

Presence is a muscle.
It grows through repetition, reflection, and meaningful interactions.

When you make praise and personal reflection part of your weekly identity, you become:

✅ More grounded
✅ More aware
✅ More trustworthy
✅ More respected
✅ More followed

And here’s the secret:
People don’t follow leaders who know everything.
They follow leaders who make others feel seen, safe, and capable.

This is how you become that person — one Friday at a time.

SEO-Rich Section: How to Build Leadership Presence at Work (Without a Title)

If you’re searching for ways to grow as a leader before you have the job title, this is your strategy:

• Start giving intentional praise
• Start practicing reflective leadership
• Start shaping culture from your level

Leadership isn’t permission. It’s presence.
And Friday is your moment to build it — no approval needed.

Weekly Impact Recap

This Friday Challenge helps your team:

✔️ End the week feeling seen
✔️ Reflect without judgment
✔️ Carry presence into the weekend (and next Monday)
✔️ Build an identity of trust and consistency

This isn’t just about one email or meeting.
It’s a cultural compound effect that adds up to lasting transformation.

Want to Build Weekly Leadership Habits Into Your Team?

Coach Faisal delivers real-time team leadership development — no fluff, no overwhelm.

We work with forward-thinking organisations to create micro-challenges that:
✅ Fit the team’s pace
✅ Align to their actual roles
✅ Build practical skills that show up in the day-to-day
✅ Improve presence, clarity, and collaboration — one week at a time

Every challenge is tailored to your team’s:

• Industry
• Work structure (hybrid, remote, in-office)
• Culture aspirations
• Leadership capacity

This is not a course.
This is how culture moves.

Book a 15-Minute Discovery Call

Let’s design your team’s custom challenge series:

📅 Book your free call now
🌐 Visit: bycoachfaisal.co.uk

About Coach Faisal London – Leadership You Can Feel

Coach Faisal London helps teams build real leadership — not with lectures, but with weekly rituals that change how people show up.

We focus on presence, clarity, consistency, and contribution — embedded into the rhythm of your team’s real work.

We don’t do “motivational fluff.”
We do micro-moves that shift trust, culture, and collaboration.

Leadership isn’t an event.
It’s a weekly decision — and we help you make it stick.