02/12/2026
Leadership Hint
Recently, I reached out through LinkedIn to a senior executive. I had been watching how he interacted with people in his network. Despite significant responsibility and a calendar most of us would struggle to manage, he consistently acknowledged others. Congratulations were answered. Kind notes received appreciation.
I told him how much that impressed me.
His reply was simple: “I was raised to be polite."
There it is!
Leadership presence is often revealed in ordinary moments. Courtesy. Awareness. Follow-through. The disciplines that seem small are usually the ones doing the heavy lifting in a career.
The LinkedIn platform is more than a digital résumé. Organizations evaluate talent here. Candidates evaluate culture here. Future partners quietly observe how someone shows up in public exchanges.
When acknowledgements are repeatedly ignored, people form conclusions. They may wonder whether communication matters or whether gratitude appears only when something larger is at stake.
A gentle reflection: if we choose to participate in a professional community, what does our level of participation say about how we lead?
From years of active leadership and advisory work, one truth remains constant: appreciation is a powerful signal. It communicates emotional intelligence, maturity, and respect for relationship capital.
Basic qualities tend to travel with people into every room they enter.
Peg Tobin, RN
