Marcel Schwantes

So many leaders in high perches chase titles, perks, bigger offices and even bigger bonuses. But they’re not satisfied. The grass is always greener on the other side.

Here’s a truth I learned the hard way: Status and bigger paychecks means little. What actually counts is impact and presence.

Hard to swallow for many, I know. But think about it. No one remembers or really cares how charismatic a leader was or what car they drove. What stays etched in people’s memories is how a leader made them feel, how they showed up, and the moments they were fully human.

Now that I’ve set the table, I’ll give you five simple, powerful ways to leave a lasting impact—and build the kind of legacy that actually matters.

1. Presence

I once had a mentor whose presence made me feel like I was the only person in the world. He remembered my goals. He followed up. He put the phone down when someone was speaking. He asked questions that showed he was listening. He remembered important things you shared weeks earlier, which meant he cared about your ideas or input. That level of attention is rare, and if you’ve had the privilege of working for someone like this, it makes you feel valued as a human being. You’re willing to go the extra mile for a person of this caliber. That’s presence. And it means everything.

2. Empathy

Most employees—86%—say that when leaders lead with empathy, it lifts team morale. And 87% believe empathy is key to building a truly inclusive workplace.

But here’s the catch: a lot of people feel that while empathy is what they want in a leader, it can feel fake if it’s not backed by real action. That’s straight from the 2023 Empathy in Business Survey by Ernst & Young.

Empathy isn’t about having the answers. It’s about feeling with people. If someone on your team is struggling, don’t wait for them to speak up—check in. Be the kind of leader who shows support before it’s asked for.

Create a space where it’s safe for someone to say, “I’m not okay.” Don’t just stand beside them when things are good. Be there when they’re navigating burnout, personal loss, or professional failures. Loyalty is built in the tough moments.

3. Trust

So much I could say about trust here, since one of the chapters of my book, Humane Leadership: Lead with Radical Love, Be a Kick-Ass Boss, is about being a trustworthy leader.

Trust comes from being transparent and emotionally accessible. Transparency, in all its strength, eliminates the likelihood of toxic behaviors like backstabbing, microaggressions, or vicious gossip. Essentially, transparency has always been and will always be about how teams work better together to get the best results. Because they trust each other.

In transparent work cultures of trust, you can count on the guardians of the culture — trusted team members and associates — to watch out for politics or favoritism behind the scenes and squash such behaviors as soon as it happens.

Leading with trust has another side worth mentioning: It’s following through on your promises—especially when it’s inconvenient. If you tell someone you’ll advocate for them, do it. If you say you’ll review their project by Friday, don’t leave them hanging.

And if you mess up? Own it. A trustworthy leader who admits mistakes and makes it right does more for trust than one who pretends to have it all together. Trust is your leadership currency. And it’s earned one decision at a time.

Here are some pointers for your trust-building journey:

• Align your actions with your words.
• Don’t change who you are based on who’s in the room.
• Defend your team’s ideas when they’re not there to defend them.
• Be a safe person to work with, not just a smart one

4. Experience

No, not how much experience or knowledge you have. Leadership is about using your experience–your wisdom–to elevate others. Think back to the hard lessons, setbacks, failures, and recovery that took you years to learn. You want to take all that hard-earned experience from the School of Hard Knocks and package them into teachable moments to benefit others. Save your lectures—share compelling stories instead. Give your team the benefit of your scars and model the way forward. More to the point, let people try, fail, and try again—with your guidance and support, not control and the blame-and-shame game. And when success happens? Give credit away. That’s real leadership.

5. Gratitude

Nothing lifts people like being recognized. Not once a year but often, and sincerely. Thank your team for effort, not just outcomes. Celebrate the person who stayed late to help a colleague or solved a quiet problem no one noticed.

Make gratitude part of your leadership rhythm. For example, write a quick note that says, “I see what you did, and I’m grateful.” Those moments compound. They create a culture people want to stay in.

Keep believing in people and treating them with humanity. That’s what people will remember about you. And that goes a long, long way.

Inc