Paul BarnhurstFP&A Expert Empowering Finance Professionals to Excel Everday

Leadership starts where the work is.

20 Feb 2026 · 0 min

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In this brief excerpt, the speaker emphasizes that effective leadership requires direct, hands‑on involvement rather than passive oversight. He argues that leaders must roll up their sleeves, dig into the work, and be willing to perform any task—no matter how small—to support their team. By entering the trenches and helping teammates directly, a leader earns respect and fosters a collaborative environment, rather than merely issuing directives.

What's really important is if you're trying to make your timelines, you can't sit there and hope that it goes away. You really need to roll up the sleeves and be able to dig in. And one of the things I'd say across the board is to be successful, no job is too small. You have to be able to get into the trenches and be helpful to your team. You can't always just tell people what to do. Sometimes you need to be able to then jump in and help them. And I think the team will appreciate that.