Welcome to the Leader’s Lens!

This issue offers a fresh perspective and actionable tips to enhance your leadership this week.

Send me an email and let me know how you plan on implementing this perspective shift in your leadership!

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As a part of the Leader’s Lens Podcast, I’m producing a series titled “Leading from the Middle.” It captures the best segments from my long form content addressing the real tensions middle managers face.

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Growing up, my momma would always say, “If you see a need, be the one to fill it.”

That mantra has led me to help set up folding chairs at community events or bring water before someone asks. It has also allowed me to check on people in the corner who looks a little lost.

The perspective has shaped the way that I see the world around me. I started to paying attention differently to the environment I was a part of and find ways to improve it with my presence.

Now bring that image into your team. How often are you waiting for someone to raise their hand before you act? Most managers operate in reactive mode: putting out fires, responding to what's right in front of them.

And I understand. The calendar is packed, the inbox never stops, and the to-do list has a to-do list.

But here's the question I keep coming back to: What if belonging started with being seen before you had to speak?

That's anticipation. And it might be the most underrated belonging behavior in leadership right now.

Gallup's research on employee engagement shows that one of the top drivers of engagement is whether employees feel their manager cares about them as a person, not just as a task-completer.

This allows caring to be a practice within your leadership.

A Harvard Business Review study on psychological safety found that team members are significantly more likely to speak up, take risks, and bring their best thinking when they believe their leader is attuned to the team's emotional climate, not just the project deadline.

The translation for mid-level leaders: Your team is deciding whether to trust you based on how you respond before they speak up, not after.

Anticipation is how you earn that trust before a crisis forces the conversation.

Here's a framework I use with the leaders I coach to build anticipation into their regular rhythm — not as an extra task, but as a lens they carry into every interaction.

1. Attention

Notice what's not being said. Who went quiet in the last meeting? Whose energy shifted? Whose output dropped without explanation? Attention is the foundation of everything else.

2. Name It Privately

Don't call it out in a group. Reach out one-on-one. "Hey, I noticed you seemed a little off yesterday — just wanted to check in. No agenda." That one sentence changes the entire relationship.

3. Take Action Early

Adjust the workload. Shift the meeting dynamic. Offer flexibility before they have to ask for it. Acting early signals that you're paying attention and that you're willing to move.

4. Environment Check

Regularly audit the conditions your team operates in. Is the workload sustainable? Are expectations actually clear? Is collaboration happening or just scheduled? Your environment is either supporting your people or quietly draining them.

Try these before next Friday:

Sit with these before your next team interaction:

If this resonates, or if you're realizing there's a gap between where you are and where you want to be, that's not a failure. It is building awareness and will change how you approach your leadership.

We're all figuring this out together. That's literally why this newsletter exists.

Reply to this email and tell me: What's one need your team has right now that you haven't fully addressed? I read every single reply.

If you want to go deeper on building anticipation and belonging into your leadership rhythm, I'd love to connect 1:1.

In a Strategy Session, we'll look at your specific team dynamic, identify the gaps, and build a practical plan you can actually use starting this week.

👉 Book your Strategy Session here

Spots are limited! Grab one while they're open.

P.S. — Know a leader who's been feeling stretched thin lately? Forward this to them. Sometimes the most belonging move you can make is sharing something that says, "I see you."

In your corner,

Ray

Whenever you are ready, here are ways you can work with me:

P.P.S. - Thank you to those who have filled out the survey letting me know more about your leadership journey! I am excited to dive into the results over the next couple of weeks to provide you with resources and content that will support your leadership! If you haven’t filled it out yet, do so by clicking the link here!

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