Re-Centering the Team
Coming back from a break always carries a quiet tension.
On the surface, everyone is back. Meetings resume. Calendars fill. The work restarts.
But underneath that return, people are still arriving, emotionally, mentally, energetically.
I’ve learned that teams don’t need to be pushed forward right away.
They need to be re-centered.
Starting With How People Are Arriving
One of the first things I intentionally shift after a break is how we begin conversations.
Instead of jumping straight into updates or expectations, I pause.
Not for long.
Not for anything elaborate.
Just long enough to ask, How are you arriving today?
Sometimes the answer is quick. Sometimes it’s quiet. Sometimes it’s just a nod or a single word. But that moment matters.
Because when we skip that step, we ask people to perform before they’ve had a chance to ground themselves. And over time, that creates distance instead of connection.
Calm check-ins don’t slow down the work.
They settle the nervous system so the work can actually move.
Noticing What Shifted, Even Slightly
Midweek is usually where I see it most clearly.
Not what still needs fixing, but what feels different.
A conversation that went smoother than before.
A moment where someone supported another without being asked.
A situation that used to feel tense was handled with more ease.
These are not things that show up in data points or reports.
But they are signs that a team is recalibrating.
I’ve learned that when leaders name these moments out loud, something important happens. People feel seen not just for effort, but for growth.
Sometimes re-centering isn’t about correcting direction.
It’s about acknowledging progress we might otherwise overlook.
Presence Before Performance
As the week comes to a close, I come back to one grounding reminder:
Presence before performance.
Not because performance doesn’t matter, it does.
But because performance without presence eventually costs more than it gives.
Presence shows up in small ways:
listening without rushing
responding instead of reacting
allowing space instead of filling every moment
When leaders model presence, teams feel it. The pace shifts. The tone softens. The work becomes more intentional instead of urgent.
I’ve seen over and over again that when presence leads, performance follows naturally.
Re-Centering Is Ongoing
Re-centering a team isn’t a one-time reset.
It’s a series of small choices:
how we open meetings
what we notice
what we prioritize
how we close the week
These choices shape the culture more than any single initiative ever could.
And when teams feel centered, they don’t just function better, they feel safer, steadier, and more connected.
That’s the kind of work I believe in.
And that’s the kind of leadership I continue to practice.
By: Dr. Cynthia Skyers-Gordon
