Whether you’re talking with one person or leading a country, your greatest asset is your presence. When you pay attention to the power of your presence, you begin to create the world you want.

And you become even more powerful when you show your confidence in the future and your belief in other people.

I’ve seen the power of that kind of presence time and again.

“When I’m on campus, the problems seem so real. There’s always someone going on and on about some urgent need or looming crisis,” Dan Loritz, vice president of Hamline University, said to me one day.

“But when I step off campus, I can see the university as the beacon of hope that it is. And that’s the reality I stand in when I meet with people of the community—and try to bring back to campus.”

Dan carries with him a list of everything the university has going for it, a letter-sized sheet of paper completely covered in the smallest handwriting you can imagine. He looks at that paper every day, knowing that it takes some doing to stay true to such a confident, aspiring, and idealistic posture.

You too can choose to reinforce others’ courage. You can point out their strengths, applaud their achievements, give them even more confidence, and let them know that you believe in them and in the future.

That’s genuine leadership (whatever your formal “position” might be).

All of this may be in your hands far more than you might have thought. Because I’ve noticed something about you: You’ve been reading this. Really, I’m serious. You could have put this away at any time, so I have to believe that something about you is reflected here.

So are you ready for something bold?

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