Start from Service

Often leadership is considered to be something shiny and elevated - a crown, a title, a corner office. But anyone who has actually led people knows the truth: leadership can feel heavy.

William J. Bennett captures this tension in his book, The Moral Compass, when he writes:

“A crown that people are expected to bow down to always sits heavy on the head, and a crown that excites envy is a net for the feet. The only crown that can be worn with comfort is the crown of service.”

That line sticks with me because it speaks to the heart of leadership: When leadership is

about being admired, deferred to, or protected from challenge, it becomes exhausting. You’re always guarding your position, watching how others perceive you, carrying the weight of expectations that never quite let up.

Robert Greenleaf, in his work on Servant Leadership, offered a simple but radical alternative: the best leaders don’t start with power, they start with service. The desire to serve comes first, and leadership grows out of that commitment. In other words, the crown comes last, not first.

I’ve seen how true this is. Leaders who lead from ego or authority often look confident on the outside, but inside they’re weighed down by fear of losing control, by comparison, by the pressure to always have the answers. That’s the heavy crown Bennett warns us about.

Servant leadership feels different. When your focus shifts from How do I lead? to How do I help?, something changes. You don’t have to prove yourself as much. You don’t have to trap people into loyalty. Trust grows naturally. People follow not because they’re required to, but because they feel seen and supported.

Greenleaf believed the real test of leadership is whether the people being served are growing—becoming more capable, more confident, and more willing to serve others themselves. That kind of leadership doesn’t entangle you; it steadies you. It’s the crown that fits.

Maybe the most freeing idea here is this: leadership doesn’t have to be a burden you endure or a status you defend. When it’s rooted in service, leadership becomes something you can carry with humility and even with joy.

The crown of service may not sparkle the most, but it’s the only one light enough to wear for the long haul.