Present Company: Cultivating Cultures of High Performance in Teams and Organizations
Timothy Dukes and Michael Landers
Conscious Capitalism Press (January 2021)

“We convince by our presence…for better or worse.” Walt Whitman

As I began to read this book, I was again reminded of another, Conscious Capitalism: Liberating the Heroic Spirit of Business (2013), in which John Mackey and Raj Sisodia make a number of affirmations with which I wholly agree.

For example, an affirmation of for profit business initiatives “galvanized by higher purposes that serve and align the interests of all major stakeholders; of businesses with conscious leaders who exist in service to the company’s purpose, the people it touches, and the planet” and which conduct business “with resilient, caring cultures that make working there a source of great joy and fulfillment.”

In Present Company, Timothy Dukes and Michael Landers affirm the importance of focus on the four powers of presence — Induction, Awareness, Authenticity, and Connection — powers that drive high performance by individuals, by teams, and even by entire organizations. Dukes and Landers include a self-assessment for each of the four. What you can learn from your results, IF you are candid, will be worth far more than the cost of this book.

Each day, most of us have dozens of brief and informal interactions with others in person or electronically. About 80% of our impact is non-verbal. That is, our body language and tone of voice indicate if we are actively and positively engaged in conversation or merely enduring it. It is imperative to keep in mind that developing an appealing presence — if it is genuine and authentic (HUGE “if”) — does not preclude speaking to power, offering principled dissent, etc. You are not obligated to agree with a point of view while making an effort to understand its context, its frame of reference.

If mutual respect and trust are essential to the health of a human community — and I believe they are — then Walt Whitman’s observation has unique and compelling relevance to healthy relationships within that community. For example, Dukes and Landers point out that whether during a one-on-one exchange, a team meeting, or an all-hands affair, “the induction is a profound, yet simple, invitation for all to enter, connect, and proceed, regardless of the space. This is an invitation to move out of the comfort of the norm and into the interdependent and vibrant possibility of authentic engagement.” Induction disrupts the norm and sets [begin italics] possibility [end italics] into [begin italics] action [end italics].  (Page 17)

What Dukes and Landers identify as awareness others may view as mindfulness. In essence, it focuses on the aforementioned context or frame of reference within which we interact with others. “As I perceive you, you perceive me. I must also allow for the possibility that pour perceptions are not the same. The power of awareness allows for this simultaneous recognition of our mutual perceptions and our potential impact on one another.” (19)

Let’s say you’re read and then re-read this book, carefully absorbing and digesting the material. And let’s say you find yourself engaged in a conversation with someone who has not read it or any other material about effective communication. You and that person have had several unpleasant disagreements in the past. By following Dukes and Landers’ suggestions, you accomplish two very important objectives: you establish your own presence from which you derive substantial benefits, and, you set an example for the other person as well as for any others who may also be involved. The Power of Connection is best illustrated by the greatest leaders throughout history but almost anyone else can obtain and then sustain that power within their given circumstances. The formula is simple: Induction + Awareness + Authenticity + Connection = Presence.

As I worked my way through the book, I was again reminded  of  Doris Kearns Goodwin’s classic work, Team of Rivals. Upon election, Abraham Lincoln created a cabinet that included several of his most formidable opponents and most severe critics. They included Lincoln’s rivals for the 1860 Republican presidential nomination: New York senator William H. Seward, Ohio governor Salmon P. Chase, and Missouri’s distinguished elder statesman Edward Bates.

Here’s Lincoln’s explanation of that bold decision: “We need the strongest men of the party in the Cabinet. We needed to hold our own people together. I had looked the party over and concluded that these were the very strongest men. Then I had no right to deprive the country of their services.”

These are among  Dukes and Landers’ concluding thoughts: “We have to be mindful of making consistent inductions, sparking awareness, and demanding authenticity, so the resulting connections run strongly and deeply. This will allow for a cultivated culture to emerge, an intentional and conscious involvement between its people, a shared experience repeated in present time.”

Well-said.

And now I presume to offer two suggestions to those who are about to read this book. First, keep a lined notebook near at hand so that you can record questions, comments, page references, etc.  You can also include your responses to the aforementioned assessments. I have already indicated a few of the key sections. There are several. Be sure to record your own thoughts as well as Timothy Dukes and Michael Landers’. This approach will facilitate, indeed expedite frequent review of key material later.

Also, keep these observations in mind. From Stephen Covey: “Seek first to understand, then to be understood. Most people do not listen with that intent; they listen with the intent to reply.” And from Theodore Roosevelt: “People won’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”