The Art of Showing Up

I was on maternity leave with my first-born and got the call that my manager was leaving. He wanted me to take over his position as team lead.

I was honored and honestly, overwhelmed. I was also in the middle of one of the most vulnerable transitions of my life: becoming a first-time mom, adjusting to a completely new identity, and trying to find my footing in a new rhythm of life.

Still, I said yes.

My husband and I immediately began exploring what it would look like to relocate our family to Virginia so I could be closer to HQ and fully step into the role. We saw it as an opportunity worth investing in.

(Someday, I’ll share why we ended up staying in ATL just a little while longer…)

When I returned to my team, it was clear they had been through a difficult 12 weeks. Morale was low. Trust was lower. Even our strongest contributors were dejected, uninspired, and looking for an exit.

These people were my teammates long before they were my “direct reports.” They were people I had worked alongside for years. I knew them well enough to recognize that what they needed most wasn’t immediate change.

It was presence.

So I started there.

We got coffee. We went on walks. They talked. I listened.

I tried to understand how it felt from their perspective, not just what changed.

Over time, a consistent theme emerged: a breakdown in communication.

They hadn’t been clearly informed about leadership transitions. They didn’t understand broader organizational changes. And after several restructures and departures, many felt unstable—like they were next.

What they needed was clarity. Context. Consistency.

They needed someone they could trust.

And in that moment, I understood that someone was me.

Rebuilding trust takes time. There’s no shortcut for it.

So, we started by re-establishing communication norms and creating space for honest dialogue, “wellness checks.”

Where the goal was simply to talk. To listen. To be direct about what was working and what wasn’t. We got honest with each other.

We made some tough decisions on staffing, having to let people go who were detracting from our principled culture.

At the same time, we worked to reconnect our day-to-day work to the larger organizational mission, helping the team see how their contributions actually mattered within the bigger picture.

We invested in new technology and AI and up-skilling opportunities like conferences and online educational programs to make a commitment to always be striving for excellence.

Slowly, trust began to rebuild.

Looking back, this was one of my earliest and most defining leadership experiences.

I learned quickly that leadership isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about showing up clearly, consistently, and honestly, even when things are uncertain.

I also learned that transparency has to be balanced with responsibility. I know I’ve made mistakes along the way. Some of which HR would likely not approve of today - where perhaps I was a little too transparent in what was going on. But I chose honesty because I believed trust required it. In hindsight, it was a learning curve in how to balance candor with stewardship.

Today, I’m proud of what the team has become and continues to be.

They are high-performing, resilient, and deeply capable. But more importantly, they trust one another, and they understand how their work connects to something larger than themselves.

And I think that’s the real foundation of leadership. Not control, not direction…but showing up long enough, and consistently enough, that trust has a place to grow.