Moving through a busy airport last week, I ran into the CEO of Melbourne airport, Lorie Argus. She had just left a three-hour risk management meeting—one of those high-stakes, numbers-driven sessions that most executives spend their days navigating. But instead of retreating to her office to tackle emails or prepare for the next board discussion, she did something different.
She walked the floor.
She moved through security checkpoints, stopped at retail stores, observed check-in counters, and chatted with passengers. No agenda. No script. Just being present watching, listening, and engaging with both employees and customers in their real environment.
I loved this simple yet powerful moment of service leadership in action. It wasn’t about fixing problems in a spreadsheet or strategizing about efficiency metrics—it was about connecting with the human experience of service. It was about leadership that feels rather than just calculates.
Why Service Leadership is the Ultimate Indicator of Service Results
If your business measures customer experience through Net Promoter Score (NPS), customer satisfaction surveys, or service quality metrics, have you considered the direct impact of service leadership on these results?
Leadership isn’t just about strategy and execution—it’s about how leaders make their people feel. In businesses where service leadership is weak, employees may comply, but they won’t be engaged. When leadership is strong, employees go beyond transactions—they create memorable service moments.
Consider these key questions:
- Who in your business owns the customer experience daily?
- How often do leaders demonstrate the values they expect their teams to uphold?
- What does your leadership culture say about your commitment to service?
The best service leaders don’t micromanage—they empower. They don’t just talk about great service; they model it. When leaders are fully present, actively listening, and reinforcing values like empathy, trust, and responsiveness, service teams thrive. And when service teams thrive, customers feel it.
Data-Backed Leadership = Service Excellence
The Melbourne Airport NPS results have seen some significant uplift in the past two years. They have doubled their promoters and halved their detractors. As a partner of Melbourne Airport, we have seen first-hand that Service isn’t just a front-line responsibility—it starts at the top.
So, if your service results aren’t where they need to be, perhaps the question to ask isn’t “How do we improve customer experience?” but rather “How do we lead better?” Because in the end, customers don’t experience a brand—they experience its people. And those people take their cues from their leaders.