Improve Leadership Presence

dennyzhang

URL: https://quantcodedenny.com/posts/leadership-presence/

Introduction

As an IC6 ML Infra Tech Lead, technical expertise alone is not enough. I need to be seen as a leader — someone who drives impact, earns trust, and inspires confidence across teams.

Leadership presence is about how I show up, influence decisions, and make work visible, especially under pressure. This post gives me a daily-ready framework to strengthen my leadership presence.

Core Principles

  • Be Calm and Clear Under Pressure

    • I speak clearly and stay composed during crises.
    • I focus on facts and root causes, avoiding blame.
    • I summarize chaos into actionable next steps.
    • I model humility: “I don’t know yet, but I’ll find out.”
    • I protect the psychological safety of others in high-pressure moments.

  • Be Visible Without Boasting

    • I share results and challenges concisely.
    • I focus on impact, not activity.
    • Mini Habit: Daily 1-sentence log of the day’s key contribution.

  • Frame Complexity as Leadership

    • I highlight difficult trade-offs I managed and decisions I influenced.
    • Template: “This was challenging because [obstacle]. I enabled [team/org] to succeed by [action].”

  • Influence Through Credibility

    • I let allies and cross-functional partners reinforce my contributions.
    • I actively recognize others and connect my work to organizational priorities.

  • Guide Decisions, Don’t Just Report

    • I focus on outcomes and next steps, not every detail.
    • Template: “The key takeaway is [message]. I propose [next step]. Impact: [metric].”

  • Consistently Deliver and Communicate

    • I pair execution with visibility.
    • I regularly summarize progress for managers, peers, and stakeholders.

Daily Habits for Leadership Presence

  • Morning (5 min)

    • Review yesterday’s work.
    • Identify one key contribution or decision to highlight.
    • Decide if any ally or stakeholder should be informed.

  • During Work

    • Capture complexity, blockers, and learning in a personal log.
    • When making design or system decisions, note why the decision matters for team/org goals.
    • Apply calm, credible behavior during crises: focus on facts, summarize chaos, protect others psychologically.

  • End of Day (5 min)

    • Fill in the impact → complexity → credibility flow:
      1. What impact did I create?
      2. What complexity or trade-offs did I handle?
      3. Who should be aware or can amplify this work?

  • Weekly (10–15 min)

    • Summarize top 1–2 achievements.
    • Share structured updates with manager or cross-functional stakeholders.
    • Identify allies who can echo your contributions.

Practical Templates

  • 1-Sentence Daily Log: > “By [action], I [impact] despite [challenge], and [ally/team] is aware.”

  • Decision-Focused Update: