While the 3 a.m. police checkpoint that inspired Bob Marley’s song on police harassment in Jamaica in no way compares to my experiences, the strain and tension of being awake at this hour is real.   

And I’m not alone in finding something meaningful in it. Beyoncé is famously known for her 3am studio sessions, treating the quiet hours as the time when the most important work gets done. 

If you’re still up and working at 3 a.m. in a communications, brand or external affairs function – well then something is up for sure. 

And there is something surreal about waking up in the wee hours. When you see it’s a work call that is waking you, your heart is already pumping. 

Whatever the reason you’re up, I commend you. It might be the hours before a results announcement and the mind is already racing through scenarios. Or it may be the night before a market-sensitive decision, when the weight of what’s about to land sits heavily with a board, a CEO, or an executive team.  

Sometimes we haven’t woken up and instead haven’t yet been to sleep. We may be in the middle of preparing documents or are on the McDonald’s run to provide some sustenance for those working through the night revising the documents for the tenth time!  

These are the moments when those you are working for (be they your leaders, your team or your clients) don’t need promises, they need presence. 

I’ve always believed that the real value we bring as communicators isn’t measured when things are calm and predictable. Our real value, and the proof of fire in the belly (as my father used to say) is measured when uncertainty creeps in, when the stakes are high, and when leaders are asking themselves not just what should we do? but who do we trust to help us think clearly right now? 

Being there at 3am isn’t about heroics or inconvenience. It’s about preparation and commitment.  

You don’t suddenly become useful in those moments if you haven’t done the work beforehand. If you don’t understand the business, the dynamics at play, the personalities around the table, and the pressures the company is carrying, then showing up late at night is just noise. 

But when trust is already established, those conversations are different. Sometimes it’s a short call to confirm a course of action. Sometimes it’s pressure-testing a message one last time. Sometimes it’s simply helping someone slow the pace of their thinking, regain clarity, and move into the day ahead with confidence. Sometimes it is the confidence you bring through being in the room.

Author: Chandran Vigneswaran