Thank you, Tal, for reinforcing even moreso the case for the connection to leadership and emotional intelligence.

My favorite line: "Presence is all about connecting to engage in a positive way."

Your entire post reminds of an article by Daniel Goleman I read recently where he describes all the different types of empathy (and how they can be used for good or evil, depending on your conscience).

I was really struck by the fact that some of the best leaders I know have this presence you describe and it is related to their abilities to be empathic in one or more ways that Goleman describes.  (Here's a link to that article: http://bit.ly/EI-empathy)

Well done, Tal.  Your post engaged me today.