When teams feel “off,” we usually audit the strategy or work on communication. We look at the KPIs. We buy a new project management tool.
But usually, the problem starts much deeper. The team has become guarded. When a team is guarded, they stop passing what others need.
So most teams don’t need more meetings, tools, or alignment exercises right away. Those matter. But they don’t work if people aren’t consistently giving each other a few simple things they need.
Here are two of them:
- Presence: actually being in someone else’s world, without your own agenda
- Truth: saying and inviting what needs to be said, with care
This is harder right now. There is a lot of uncertainty, pressure, overwhelm, and change. If a team is going to feel like a cohesive group working through that together, it takes real intention, not just talking about it.
Without presence, people don’t feel seen or understood.
Without truth, teams don’t deal with the real issues or make the right decisions.
When both are there, the dynamic shifts. People feel seen and challenged, cared for and called up.
As a leader, it’s worth asking:
Where could I give more presence?
Where could I invite more truth?
Two simple ways to start:
1) The 5-Minute Curiosity Drop-In
Pick one person today and give them five intentional minutes.
No agenda, no fixing, no multitasking. Just step into their world.
You might ask:
- “What’s taking most of your energy right now?”
- “Where are things feeling heavy or stuck?”
- “What’s something you wish was going differently?”
Don’t solve it. Don’t redirect it. Don’t make it about you. Just listen.
That’s presence.
When everything is a Teams message or a 15-minute sync, leadership becomes a series of transactions. Transactions don’t build loyalty. Presence does.
2) A Truth Invitation
If you want more truth on your team, you have to invite it.
Try one of these questions, one-on-one:
- “What’s something I might be missing right now?”
- “Where do you see this differently than I do?”
- “If you were in my seat, what would you be paying attention to?”
Don’t expect an answer right away. Just ask consistently.
And when they answer, don’t defend or explain. Just say, “Thank you for telling me.”
That’s what makes it safe to tell the truth again.
Truth isn’t about being harsh, and it’s not about avoiding things to be nice. It’s about reducing “time to reality.”
A guarded team burns energy on self-protection. A team rooted in truth puts that energy back into collaboration and results.
Most teams don’t need a big reset. They need more moments like this.
Small, consistent passes of presence and truth.
That’s how guarded teams start to open up.
That’s how teams start to feel like they’re moving forward together again.
