Strength in Service of Justice

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. reminded us that our greatest strengths find their highest purpose in service to others and justice for all.

Too often, organizations talk about justice, equity, and service as ideals that live at the top - mission statements, executive speeches, or aspirational values on a website.

But in practice, justice in organizations is lived or lost every day in the middle.

The most burned-out people in your organization are often the same people most responsible for whether your customers, employees, and communities get what they need.

That group is your mid-level managers.

They sit at a critical intersection:

• Executives set the vision.

• Frontline employees serve customers.

• Mid-level managers translate vision into action.

  
  

They are responsible for:

• Cascading strategy and values

• Supporting frontline engagement

• Making daily decisions that shape employee experience

• Ensuring customers actually feel your organization’s promises

  
  

When mid-level managers are unsupported, stretched thin, or unclear, the impact ripples outward.

Here’s the straight line most organizations miss:

If mid-level managers don’t get what they need →Frontline employees don’t get what they need →Customers don’t get what they need →Equity, trust, and service erode.

That’s not a culture issue. That’s an infrastructure issue.

Many organizations invest heavily at the edges:

• Executive coaching and leadership retreats at the top

• Onboarding, compliance, and skills training at the frontline

  
  

Meanwhile, the middle is expected to “figure it out.”

The result:

• Burned-out managers who can’t lead effectively

• Disengaged frontline employees

• Customers who feel the gap between values and reality

Dr. King’s vision of justice wasn’t passive. It required intentional systems that supported people to do the right thing consistently.

In organizations, that means building leadership capability where it matters most:

• Helping mid-level managers lead people, not just tasks

• Equipping them to handle conflict, communicate clearly, and develop others

• Giving them the skills and support to turn values into daily practice

  
  

When mid-level managers are developed, something powerful happens:

• Employees feel seen and supported

• Customers experience consistency and care

• Strategy stops getting stuck and starts moving

  
  

That’s strength in service. That’s justice in action.

Your people’s strengths aren’t just for personal success. They’re for building workplaces that are fair, human, and effective.

If your organization is serious about serving others and closing the gap between values and lived experience - start where the leverage is highest.

Start in the middle.

Learn how our Enterprise Leadership Development program help organizations build leadership strength where it matters most.

Reflection question: How is your organization supporting the leaders who carry the greatest responsibility for justice, engagement, and customer experience every day?