Your team is not just watching what you do. They’re carrying what you leave behind.
Every word. Every distracted hallway pass. Every drive-by check-in.
It all leaves a wake.
And one of the four pillars of my Your E.P.I.C. Pursuit framework is Intentionality – the idea that every action, every word, and every interaction either moves your team forward or quietly holds it back. Today’s newsletter is about exactly that.
The Conversation That Woke Me Up
I’ve been guilty of it. Maybe you have too.
“Hey, how was your weekend?” – said while already walking past someone’s desk.
“Let me know if you need anything!” – called out over your shoulder as you head to the next meeting.
It sounds harmless. Even friendly. But here’s what your team is actually filing away:
My leader is here – but not really with me.
That gap between presence and proximity? That’s where the Experience Wake starts forming and not just with the teammate you “connected” with but also with those who are in eyesight or earshot. And over time, it doesn’t just shape morale. It shapes performance, trust, outcomes, and results.
What Is Your Experience Wake?
Like a boat cruising on a lake at speed, you leave a wake behind every interaction. I call it your Experience Wake – the emotional and behavioral residue your words, your actions, and your level of engagement deposit into the people around you.
The critical thing most leaders miss?
You don’t get to decide whether you leave a wake. You only get to decide what kind.
When leaders are distracted, consumed in their own heads, or running on autopilot, the wake they leave behind creates:
- Teams that stop bringing you their real problems
- Key stakeholders who start managing around you instead of with you
- Customers who feel like a transaction, not a priority
- A culture where “good enough” quietly becomes the new standard
None of that happens in one dramatic moment. It happens through a hundred small, careless interactions that compound over time.
ACTION STEP 1 — Individual Reflection
Start here: Think about the last three interactions you had with your team or a key stakeholder.
Ask yourself honestly:
- Was I actually present – or just physically there?
- Did my words and actions leave them feeling seen and supported?
- Or did I leave a wake of distraction, indifference, or haste?
This isn’t about guilt. It’s about intentional awareness. You can’t change a wake you don’t know you’re leaving.
The Intentionality Gap
Here’s what I see most often when I work with leaders inside high-performance organizations:
The problem isn’t bad intent. The problem is vague or, worse yet, no intent.
Leaders are so consumed with what’s next – the next meeting, the next initiative, the next fire – that they move through interactions without ever actually being in them.
In racing, a crew chief doesn’t drift through communication with a driver at 190 miles per hour. Every word is deliberate. Every exchange has a purpose. Because the crew chief knows that how something is said is just as critical as what is said – and that the wrong message at the wrong moment can take a driver out of contention before the race is even half over.
Your team is no different. The way you show up in conversations is setting the conditions for performance – or undermining them.
ACTION STEP 2 — Quick 1-10 Audit
Rate yourself honestly on a scale of 1–10 in each of these areas this week:
- Words: Am I saying what I mean – and meaning what I say?
- Actions: Do my behaviors match the leader I say I want to be?
- Presence: Am I fully engaged when others need me – or going through the motions?
Where are you a 6 or below? That’s not a weakness. That’s your leverage point.
The Wake That Changes Everything
The most powerful shift I’ve seen in leaders isn’t a new framework or a new strategy. It’s a new standard – a commitment to be intentional about the experience they create for the people around them.
Not just in big moments. In the small ones.
The check-in that’s actually a check-in. The feedback that’s actually heard, not just delivered. The conversation that ends with someone feeling supported instead of managed.
When leaders get intentional about their Experience Wake – with their teams, their customers, their key stakeholders – something measurable shifts. People lean in. Trust builds. Results follow.
Because people don’t give their best to leaders they feel indifferent toward.
They give their best to leaders who make them feel like they matter.
So here’s the question I’ll leave you with:
Think about the interactions you had with your team, your customers, and your key stakeholders this week.
What kind of wake did you leave behind – and is it one they want to follow?
Drop one word in the comments that describes it. I’d love to hear.