Leadership as Responsibility, Not Position
Leadership as Responsibility, Not Position
Leadership. It’s one of the most overused words in our culture. You see it plastered across résumés, sprinkled into motivational posters, and claimed on countless LinkedIn headlines. But here’s the question we need to ask: what does it really mean—and what does it cost?
In today’s world, leadership has become synonymous with titles and influence. But trauma-informed leadership challenges us to strip away the illusions. Leadership is not about the position you hold. It’s about the responsibility you choose to carry.
The Firefighter Who Showed Us What Leadership Really Looks Like
A young firefighter, fresh out of training, once shared a story with me. Early in his career, he found himself at the scene of a burning house. Chaos surrounded him—officers shouting orders, crews managing hoses, engineers calculating water flow.
But then, through the smoke, he saw something no one else had noticed: a child’s face in an upstairs window.
The captain was focused on strategy. The others were locked into their assignments. No one was moving toward that child.
So he did. He pushed through, ran into the flames, and carried the child to safety.
He wasn’t the captain. He didn’t have rank or seniority. But in that moment—who was the leader?
It wasn’t the one giving commands. It was the one who took responsibility.
Leadership Has Been Diluted
Modern culture has blurred the meaning of leadership. We use the word as if saying it enough times makes it true.
A “team lead” might just be a supervisor.
A social media influencer gets labeled a “leader” simply for having followers.
Corporations hand out leadership titles like candy.
But if everyone is called a leader, nobody truly is. The word loses its weight.
Trauma-informed leadership brings the word back to its roots. To lead is not to wear a crown. It is to shoulder the backpack of responsibility. To carry the weight when no one else will.
Why Responsibility Changes Everything
Science shows us why responsibility is so powerful. Our nervous systems are wired for safety. According to polyvagal theory, we “co-regulate", borrowing stability from others.
When a leader is calm, grounded, and accountable, the group feels safer. People can think clearly, problem-solve, and act. But when leaders chase titles without responsibility, communities feel abandoned and trust erodes.
That’s why some of the most profound leaders you’ll ever meet don’t have titles at all. They’re the ones whose presence signals, “You’re safe. I’m here. I’ll carry this.”
Leadership in History and Movements
This truth has echoed through history:
Harriet Tubman didn’t wait for permission. She led enslaved people to freedom because she was willing to carry responsibility, regardless of cost.
Frontline medics in war zones often aren’t the highest rank, but when they kneel beside a bleeding soldier, their actions define leadership.
Parents, caregivers, and teachers lead every day when they shoulder the weight others will never see.
Leadership has always belonged to those who carry responsibility, not those who wear the badge.
The Cost of Real Leadership
Carrying responsibility isn’t glamorous. It costs something.
Comfort – because you don’t get to walk away when it’s inconvenient.
Visibility – because true leadership is often unseen.
Vulnerability – because to shoulder responsibility is to feel the weight in your own soul.
But here’s the paradox: carrying responsibility also builds resilience. It gives life meaning, and meaning fuels strength in a way that titles and applause never can.
A Personal Reflection
When I first stepped into this work, I didn’t call myself a leader. I just wanted to help, write, speak, sit with people in pain.
However, I then started receiving calls in the middle of the night. Survivors who needed someone to pick up. Communities in crisis are looking for guidance. And suddenly, I realized: this wasn’t about me. It was about responsibility.
That’s the day leadership found me. Not with applause. With weight.
Practical Takeaway
So let’s reframe leadership in your life.
Where are you already carrying unseen responsibility? That is leadership, whether or not anyone calls it by name.
Where might you be tempted to claim a title without carrying the weight? That temptation is everywhere. But trauma-informed leadership calls us back to integrity.
Leadership isn’t about position. It’s about responsibility. Not a crown, but a backpack. Not glamour, but weight. And it matters more than ever in our world today.
Reflection Questions
What unseen responsibilities do you carry that shape lives?
How does your nervous system respond when someone else shoulders the weight for you?
Where might you be tempted to chase a title rather than embrace responsibility?
Final Thought
Leadership is not a crown...it’s a backpack. The true leaders aren’t the loudest or the ones with the fanciest titles. They’re the ones who say, “I will carry this, even when it costs me.”
This is the essence of trauma-informed leadership. And this is the kind of leadership that can change lives, organizations, and communities.
✨ Want to go deeper?
Book a call with Krista to explore how this program can transform your leadership or schedule a custom training series for your organization.
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