Byron's Babbles

Grounded in the Present: Embracing the Power of Being Where Your Feet Are

Posted in Education, Educational Leadership, FFA, Global Leadership, Leadership, Leadership Development by Dr. Byron L. Ernest on August 8, 2025

This week I’ve had the honor of being in Clyde Park, Montana at Shields Valley High School doing leadership development for high school students involved in FFA, BPA, student council, volleyball, basketball, and football. It has been a great week working with the students around the theme of “Everyone Is A Leader.” As is always the case, I am being inspired by the students as much as they are by me. One of the students, FFA officer Andrew Long, made the very profound comment on our first morning together that, “we need to be where our feet are.” This fit so well with our discussion of leading from where we are and that everyone is a leader and very quickly became a theme we kept coming back to.

The phrase “we need to be where our feet are” means to fully focus on and be present in the current moment or place. It encourages mindfulness and paying attention to our immediate surroundings, rather than being distracted by past concerns or future worries. Essentially, it’s a reminder to stay grounded and engaged with what’s happening right now.

The leadership lesson from the phrase “we need to be where our feet are” is the importance of presence and mindfulness in leadership. As a leader, being fully engaged in the current moment allows us to better understand our team’s needs, make thoughtful decisions, and respond effectively to challenges. It encourages leaders to listen actively, be attentive to details, and prioritize the task at hand, rather than getting distracted by future uncertainties or past mistakes. Ultimately, it promotes authentic leadership rooted in awareness and connection, fostering trust and clarity within our team.

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  1. […] lots of notes from their thoughts that inspired me. I’ve already blogged about this event once in Grounded in the Present: Embracing the Power of Being Where Your Feet Are. Another great comment made by a student was “You are not limited by other people.” I loved […]

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  2. […] I wrote a post entitled Grounded in the Present: Embracing the Power of Being Where Your Feet Are. That post was inspired while doing leadership development for high school students involved […]

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