From Status to Service, Leadership Beyond the Throne
Some executives and senior leaders treat their title and position like a status symbol, where it becomes the throne, and the office becomes the fortress.
This detachment can create blind spots and lead to poor decisions, as leaders lose touch with what their teams and customers truly need.
When leaders are position-driven and become inaccessible, trust breaks down, teams disengage, and strategy execution suffers in the silence between hierarchy and reality.
When leaders are mission-driven, accessible, and engaged in the work alongside their teams, they build credibility. They serve stakeholders through and with their teams, shaping culture through proximity, presence, and purpose
Imagine a culture where leadership is not defined by how far above you are, but by how far you’re willing to go and serve through and with your team. You can notice the shift in what leaders choose to do:
From observing culture from a distance to also shaping it through example.
From attending meetings to also walking the floor.
From sitting behind closed doors to also showing up in action.
From reading reports to also listening directly to employees and customers.
From sending memos to also having real conversations.
From delegating feedback to also asking for it delivering it firsthand.
From tracking data to also observing behavior.
From managing by email to also solving problems in real time.
From relying on dashboards to also asking thoughtful frontline questions.
From approving plans to also co-creating solutions.
From setting targets to also removing barriers.
From leading all-hands meetings to also joining team stand-ups.
From reviewing outcomes to also understanding the process.
From applauding results to also recognizing effort and growth.
From asking for updates to also asking “how can I support you?”
From meeting investors and high-value stakeholders to also engaging with employees and customers.
From endorsing and mimicking values to also modeling and living them.
With the above in mind:
Wouldn’t team take greater ownership and accountability when they feel their work truly matters?
Wouldn’t trust deepen through role modeling?
Wouldn’t respect become mutual as teams feel seen, heard, and supported?
Wouldn’t teams respond to shifting realities in real time?
Wouldn’t performance and quality rise?
Of course, leaders can not spend excessive time narrowly focused on the ground and they need time for deep work, tough decisions, strategizing, high level problem solving, etc. However, if you never or only rarely show up on the ground, and your presence is reserved for photo ops, your leadership remains conceptual on paper, not felt in practice.
When I partner with executives and senior leaders working to close the gap between status and service, shifting from position-driven leadership to one rooted in mission, it becomes the kind of work that quietly transforms culture from the inside out.