Service is your job. Not a KPI. 

One of the first things we do in any ServiceQ transformation is bring leaders together to discuss their roles in service. Not their org chart. Not their P&L. Their actual role. 

Recently, in a session with Bank Australia, a leader I’ll call Bob reminded us what real leadership looks like. 

He shared that he’d spent the night before listening to customer service calls. Not because someone asked him to. Because he wanted to understand what his team really experiences. 

On one call, he heard an agent wrap up by saying: 
“Thanks for being with us.” 

The next day, Bob tracked that team member down, not to audit, but to acknowledge. He praised her for the way she made customers feel. And the impact… she lit up, proud that her leader had noticed. 

That’s leadership. 

You don’t lead service from behind a computer screen. 
You lead it on the floor. In the conversations. In the effort. 

Just like Ralph Norris, the former Air New Zealand CEO, who once put on an apron mid-flight to help cabin crew under pressure. He didn’t observe from business class. He rolled up his sleeves. He served. 

These aren’t grand gestures. They’re daily disciplines. 

So what does leadership in service really look like? 

• Be seen – Get out from behind the glass. Be where the work happens. 
• Ask questions – Show genuine interest in what your people are facing. 
• Stick around – Don’t just drop a target and disappear. Watch the service. Witness the effort. 
• Coach or praise – If it’s great, say so. If it’s not, help. In the moment. 
• Celebrate service – Tell the stories that show you notice the human stuff. 

Your people aren’t there to serve you. You are there to serve them. 

And when you do that, when they know you see them, understand their work, and expect excellence with them, not from them, they rise. Service improves. Culture lifts.