Why Leading the Moment Is the Skill That Sets You Apart

It’s Monday.

The team is waking up to shifting deadlines, new meetings, unread emails, and that familiar feeling of:
“Here we go again.”

And in these moments, what most teams do is reflect the energy that’s around them.

• If the vibe is chaotic, they become chaotic.
• If the tone is rushed, they rush.
• If others are reactive, they follow suit.

But here’s the secret of true leadership:

Real leaders don’t mirror the moment.
They shape it.

What This Week Is Really About

Week 3 is about cultivating leadership presence under pressure.

Not just:

• Performing under stress
• Meeting tight deadlines
• Multitasking your way through chaos

But instead:

• Pausing when others rush
• Grounding when tension rises
• Bringing direction when confusion shows up

Because while technical skills get tasks done, presence is what builds teams people trust.

And it starts with how you show up on a Monday.

The Challenge — Set the Temperature, Don’t Absorb It

🟩 When to Do It
📅 Monday — in your morning meeting, Slack message, email kickoff, or internal reflection.

🟩 What to Do
Identify the emotional “temperature” of your team or environment.
Then decide:

• How you’ll bring intention
• How you’ll regulate energy
• How you’ll anchor focus and tone for others

💡 Examples:

• “If tension rises, I’ll breathe and speak with calm, then summarise what matters.”
• “If the energy is scattered, I’ll ask a centring question before we move forward.”
• “If people are quiet, I’ll name the silence and ask how we’re really doing.”

This isn’t about becoming the “zen” person.
It’s about becoming a stabiliser.

Why This Challenge Is Powerful

We all know the feeling when one person walks into the room and everything shifts.

That’s not charisma — that’s emotional regulation and leadership presence in action.

Leaders who shape the team’s emotional environment:
✅ Reduce stress contagion
✅ Increase clarity under pressure
✅ Model resilience, not reactivity
✅ Build teams that stay steady in storms

According to the University of California, leaders with high emotional regulation lead teams that are:

• 24% more productive
• 31% more engaged
• 40% more resilient during high-pressure projects

What Skills This Builds

✅ Emotional regulation
✅ Self-awareness
✅ Team awareness
✅ Leadership presence
✅ Communication with intent
✅ Poise under pressure
✅ Influence through tone, not title

These aren’t “nice to have” — they’re the difference makers when things go wrong, fast, or sideways.

Pitfalls to Watch For

🚫 You absorb everyone else’s stress
You feel anxious because they’re anxious. This creates emotional noise.

🚫 You wait for someone else to set the tone
But by then, the moment has passed — and it’s harder to change it.

🚫 You fake positivity instead of real presence
Toxic positivity doesn’t calm people. Grounded leadership does.

🎯 Overcome It By

• Grounding yourself before the team sync
• Naming what you’re sensing (calmly)
• Offering one sentence of direction, focus, or care

Leadership isn’t loud. It’s felt.

Real-World Examples By Role

🔹 Team Leads: Start the meeting by naming the mood — then guiding toward clarity.
🔹 New Joiners: Model presence by asking calm, focused questions when energy rises.
🔹 Managers: Use this moment to model what leadership sounds like under pressure.
🔹 Engineers/Designers: Speak up when the brief or goal feels rushed or unclear — with poise, not panic.
🔹 Ops/Admins: Anchor processes during disorganisation. Set one clear priority for the day.

No matter the role — presence is leadership.

The Brain-Body Connection in Stressful Moments

According to neuroscientist Dr. Andrew Huberman:

• Stress is contagious through micro-signals in voice, facial expression, and language
• Our prefrontal cortex (decision-making) shuts down during stress spikes
• Regulated breath + conscious language reactivates logic and presence in groups

This means:

When you show up calm and clear, you physiologically shift the room’s energy.

You’re not just helping the team feel better.
You’re literally helping them think better.

How to Build This Into a Habit

🔸 Anchor your week with one self-leadership prompt:

• “What do I want my presence to communicate today?”
• “What energy does the team need right now?”
• “What would a calm, focused version of me do this morning?”

🔸 Use Slack or email to write a short Monday tone-setter:

“Let’s aim for momentum, not perfection this week — clarity first.”
“If things get messy, let’s regroup quickly and keep each other steady.”

🔸 Create a team ritual:
End every Monday meeting with:
“What’s one way we want to show up for each other this week?”

This builds emotional culture — without needing another meeting.

FAQ – What Most Teams Ask

❓ What if I’m not the team lead?
Even better. This is about influence, not authority. Presence is non-hierarchical leadership.

❓ What if I don’t feel calm inside?
Name it. Then act in alignment with your intention, not your emotion. That’s real self-leadership.

❓ What if people ignore me?
They won’t — if your words are grounded, timely, and offered with care.

❓ What if I try and it feels awkward?
Leadership presence gets easier with reps. The more you try, the more natural it becomes.

Weekly Impact Summary – Why This Challenge Matters

By Monday midday, most teams are either spiralling or settling.

This challenge helps your team:

✅ Start with intention
✅ Manage emotional noise
✅ Model grounded presence
✅ Redirect panic into focus
✅ Align on tone and purpose

This isn’t about being the loudest or smartest person in the room.

It’s about being the person who keeps the room steady.

And that?
That’s what real teams remember.

Want This Kind of Presence Built Into Your Team’s Culture?

Coach Faisal London delivers custom, weekly team leadership challenges designed to turn your team’s communication, mindset, and habits into leadership systems.

✅ 3 challenges per week
✅ Industry-specific
✅ Tailored to your goals
✅ Aligned with your team’s language, energy, and mission

It’s not a course.
It’s not theory.
It’s what leadership looks like in real time.

Book a Discovery Call (15 Mins That Can Shift Your Culture)

Want to build this into your team?

Let’s map your leadership habit system.

📅 Book your 15-min call
🌐 Visit: bycoachfaisal.co.uk

About Coach Faisal London – Real-Time Leadership Growth

We don’t train your team.
We grow your team from within — through action, reflection, and consistency.

Our weekly leadership challenge system delivers:

✔️ Trust-building
✔️ Emotional presence
✔️ Ownership and collaboration
✔️ Team maturity under pressure

We’ve helped teams at BBC, tech startups, nonprofits, and government turn culture into something people feel — not just read in a handbook.

Because real leadership is how you show up on Monday…
… when things are busy, blurry, or broken.