You can have all the presence in the world, but if the people around you don't feel connected or heard or empowered, you will never be able to successfully lead any group of people.
When I was growing up, I was really, really shy. If you can try to imagine, I was the kid who would do anything to avoid being the centre of attention, and who would much rather observe from the back of the room than speak up or have my voice heard. Looking back, if you were to have told me that I would one day be doing what I'm doing today (co-founding a company, working with some of the most creative founders in the country, and becoming an active public speaker), I don't think I or anyone who knew me would have believed you. I always saw leadership as something that you were born with, and something that for quieter, softer spoken people like myself was completely impossible to achieve. That belief took me a long time to unlearn.
I think a lot of people (myself included!) often carry this image of what a leader is supposed to look like, and the same is true for how we think about showing up online. We tend to hold up a very specific version of both: charismatic, authoritative, the person commanding the feed, the one with the loudest opinion and the most confident delivery. And for a long time, I believed that if you didn't fit that version, you simply weren't cut out for it. You can have all the presence in the world, but if the people around you don't feel connected or heard or empowered, then you will never be able to successfully lead any group of people, and your audience online is no different.
The best leaders I've had the chance to work with share something with the best creators I've seen build successful communities online. They stay calm when everything feels like it's unravelling, they put the spotlight on the people around them rather than keeping it on themselves, and they care far more about the growth of others than their own visibility. They start conversations rather than just joining them, they empower the people in their space rather than just performing for them, and they build something people want to be part of. The worst have been the opposite of this, as they are the ones who lead from a place of ego or fear, making every mistake feel bigger than it's needing to be, and creating content or a presence that ultimately makes everyone around them feel smaller than themselves.
Stepping into leadership myself has been one of the more personal things I've had to work through, and learning to show up online with a point of view has been part of that same journey. Figuring out my own strengths, finding my own rhythm, learning what I actually stand for and am willing to say out loud. My style of leadership is quieter than what tends to get celebrated as 'proper' leadership, and my approach to content is the same. I'm not here to be the loudest voice or to chase what's trending. I lead by creating space, by listening more than I talk, and by stepping in when something needs to be said, but always with the goal of bringing out the best in myself and others.
And so I like to think that the real question, whether we're talking about leadership or building your presence online, is whether or not you're willing to do the work to show up on your own terms. Both can look very different from person to person, and the version that will serve you and the people around you is the one built on trust, self-awareness, and a true desire to allow yourself and those you work with to reach their true potential.