Muted

Leadership Demands Presence

LEADERSHIP HASN’T DISAPPEARED, BUT IT’S GONE QUIET. 

In meetings, in feedback, in development conversations—we’re still working, still delivering . . . but not really leading. Something essential has been lost: presence. We’re managing dashboards, sending emails, and sitting in video calls, but people are drifting, talent is stalling, and the next generation of leaders is wondering if anyone sees them. 

Muted: Leadership Demands Presence is not about remote work. It’s a call to intentionally rehumanize leadership. With bold clarity and hard-earned wisdom, executive Becky Sawyer reveals how development disappeared, visibility faded, and leadership became something we assumed could be done quietly. 

You’ll learn how to: 

  • Lead meetings that actually grow people 
  • Coach in real time without a formal program 
  • Give feedback that builds identity, not just improvement 
  • Stretch people with belief, not burnout 
  • Reclaim visibility without being performative 

This book is for the leader who wants to show up, not just check in. For the manager who knows something’s off but hasn’t had the words for it. And for every rising professional who’s wondering why they feel stuck, unseen, or unsure where leadership even lives anymore. 

Because leadership doesn’t scale through policies; it scales through presence.

 

$29.95
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ISBN: 979-8-90026-020-4
Imprint: Amplify Publishing
SKU: 18-1567-01
Categories:Amplify Publishing, Human Resources, Leadership and Management

“It’s been five years . . . what are we thinking? While we openly acknowledge the challenges and limitations of long-distance relationships, we accept the concept of remoteness at work—why? The research on eye contact alone is telling—eye contact transfers charisma, conveys support, and heightens motivation. Building remarkable teams is a contact sport. Leadership requires difficult work—and complex tasks require committed teams. Muted calls the question on our slide into remoteness.”

—MICHAEL GENTRY, CEO, Kettering Health

“This book addresses a persistent gap in leadership—the need for true presence. As digitization and rapid information exchange have accelerated, the connection between leaders and their people has often been compromised. Becky Sawyer brings this issue into sharp focus, providing practical tools for improvement at every level of an organization. This is a must-read for aspiring leaders navigating complex environments and for established executives looking to reengage and refresh their connections. It offers a vital and refreshing perspective on modern leadership.”

—ROD HOCHMAN, MD, former CEO and president, Providence Health

“There are very few executives who don’t recall March 12, 2020, and all that followed, and I assume most reflect deeply about that period—and, more importantly, what it means going forward . . . for our organizations, for the talent that will carry those organizations forward, and for the responsibility we have to position that talent to lead. I’ve certainly done my fair share of contemplation, but Becky’s brilliantly and candidly written perspectives help frame one’s thinking even more. Through the caring presence that Becky speaks of, we can ensure that we are setting our next generation up to succeed with their own modern-day intersection of insight, fortitude, and humility to lead through what none of us know about tomorrow. Becky outlines a timely and practical approach for doing so that is digestible and doable—and desperately needed.”

—BRIAN SCHOOLS, president and CEO, Chartway Credit Union

“If you are an aspiring leader, this is a book you must read and fully digest. Whether you are just starting out on your leadership journey or looking to hone your skills mid- or late-career, you will want Sawyer’s development of the concept of 'presence' to be an essential element of your leadership toolbox. This book is especially timely in today’s hybrid world where leaders are struggling to build organizational integrity and direction in a setting where in-person interaction is, at best, sporadic. Read this book, digest it, read again—you will be glad you did.”

—PETER BROOKS, cofounder and former managing director, CornerStone Partners LLC and coauthor of Survival to Success: Leading Small, High-Growth Enterprises

Becky Sawyer

Healthcare Executive and Thought Leader

Becky Sawyer is an executive vice president and chief people officer for a $13 billion integrated health system, where she leads people strategy for more than 34,000 team members. She has spent over three decades in healthcare and human resources, working at the intersection of leadership, talent, and transformation. 

Throughout her career, Becky has walked with leaders through disruption and change. From the early days of her HR career to the unprecedented season of the COVID-19 pandemic, she has seen how presence, clarity, and development shape not only performance but safety, trust, and the future of organizations. 

Becky is the founder of The Brave Current™, a body of work focused on helping leaders show up with more presence, courage, and purpose in a modern, noisy workplace. Her writing and speaking blend story, research, and practical tools that leaders can use with their teams the very next day. 

In addition to her executive role, Becky is a leadership speaker and advisor. She is passionate about developing leaders at every level—board, executive, senior, mid-career, and emerging—with a special focus on the “forgotten middle,” building systems where good work is seen without self-promotion, and making development something people can feel, not just read about in a slide deck. 

Becky lives in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where she values family, friendship, laughter, and connection as much as meaningful work. When she is not with leaders or teams, you can find her with the people she loves, near the water, or quietly thinking about how to help the next generation of leaders lead and live with greater presence. 

She is building the Muted series as an ongoing exploration of leadership, life, and legacy in an age that demands presence.

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