The “Red Rope” Paradox

Something clicked for me during my son’s soccer photos.

Who knew kids' sports photos were such an enterprise? 15 white popup tents. 10 photographers. Hundreds of kids.

At first, parents were allowed to stand right next to the kids. But a few minutes later, one of the crew asked us to move back behind a red rope perimeter, 100 feet away.

We moved.

The kids panicked.

Today in 4 minutes or less:

✔️ Wave Until He Smiles

✔️ The Pressure of Distance

✔️ How to Stay Visible

 👋 Wave Until He Smiles

There we were, herded behind the rope. One hundred feet back.

My heart sank a little when I saw Kingston's eyes flick to the empty sideline.

He looked back. I waved—big, silly, arms flung wide. Again. And again.

After the tenth wave, he smiled.

That moment stuck with me.

Because it reminded me: it's one thing to know someone's watching you. It's another thing for them to actively reach out when the distance feels real. That response changes everything.

Not every kid had that. Some parents had their hands full. Others were distracted. You could see it in the kids' faces.

And if I zoom out? It's the same in business.

When you're pushed behind the rope—when systems tighten, when margins shrink—you're tempted to go invisible. To blend in. To do just enough so no one notices.

But what if you waved anyway?

On email. With a client. With your team. Just so they know you're still there. Still engaged. Still in their corner.

↔️ The Pressure of Distance

When systems scale, there's this paradox: the more you remove yourself from the daily, the more you risk disappearing emotionally.

We justify it. "I can't micromanage." "I need to scale." "They'll figure it out."

That's valid. But the danger is you stop being felt. You stop being seen.

Your people—clients, team, family—don't just want an efficient version of you. They want you.

👀 How to Stay Visible When Distance Grows

Here’s what I’m doing (and you can borrow):

Schedule micro-presence. Even five minutes. Walk through the office (in my case, dropping in virtually). Drop a voice note. Peek into DMs. Make sure someone looks up and sees you.

Send signals with no agenda. A quick "thinking of you" email. A short video just to say hey. A wave, even if nobody waves back.

Pick one priority to respond to personally. Don’t try to show up everywhere. Pick one client, one team member, one moment, and be there.

Plan for presence as you scale. Who needs consistent access to you? How will you provide it, even when you’re “behind the rope”?

Watch for the smile signs. The shift in energy, the softening tone, the renewed trust, that’s your signal you’re being felt.

Your Move This Week:

Walk into your team's space or pop in on Zoom. Send one personal message you normally wouldn't. Choose one person and lean in—not into the metrics, into them.

Because your people don't need you everywhere.

They just need to know you're still waving.

To profiting more and working less. 💸 

-Matt

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