Leadership That Doesn’t Use the Back Door
On power, psychological safety, and accountability in the age of A
A Bold Moves Strategy Insight by Dr. Tiffiny Black
Recently, a story resurfaced online that still echoes in boardrooms and break rooms alike.
A Black janitor named Mr. Ellis, dressed in his blue uniform, quietly pushed a mop bucket through a hotel ballroom. He was stopped by a man in a suit who loudly barked, “Wrong entrance. Staff use the back door.”
Silence. A few awkward chuckles. Mr. Ellis froze.
Until LeBron James stood up—napkin still in hand—and said:
“That man’s name is Mr. Ellis. And if he’s not welcome through the front, I’m not staying.”
(Source: HuffPost, 2020)
The room shifted.
Not just because someone famous spoke—but because someone finally did.
💡 What This Teaches Us About Leadership
That moment reveals more than classism or bias. It exposes a systemic failure in recognition—a crisis in psychological safety and real accountability. Psychological safety, as defined by Edmondson (1999), is the belief that one can speak up, take interpersonal risks, and be authentic without fear of retribution or humiliation.
In today’s workforce, the message isn’t always spoken aloud, but it’s deeply felt:
“Be exceptional, but not emotional.”
“Perform, but don’t challenge the system.”
“Adapt, but don’t expect support.”
Too often, those carrying the weight of the organization—frontline workers, administrative staff, quiet leaders—are told to “use the back door” metaphorically, while performative leadership occupies the front row. The result is disengagement, not from lack of work ethic, but from exhaustion and lack of acknowledgment.
🔍 Leadership in the Age of AI and Accountability
As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly integrated into the hiring process, evaluation systems, and daily workflows, the risk of amplifying existing bias becomes undeniable. Tools designed to increase efficiency often lack the cultural competence or emotional intelligence to evaluate lived experience or non-traditional paths (Raji et al., 2020; Obermeyer et al., 2019).
This month, I’ve spoken with educators, healthcare professionals, mid-level managers, and job seekers. The themes are consistent:
AI evaluates résumés with no understanding of context or equity.
Top talent is ghosted or undervalued.
Employees are gaslit about burnout while toxic cultures remain unchallenged.
And the worst part? Accountability is demanded from the bottom—while the top stays quiet.
That’s not leadership. That’s deflection.
📰 This Month’s Featured Article
📘 The Psychological Toll of Staying Too Long: Why Good People Leave Toxic Systems Quietly
Read here → LinkedIn Article
This article explores what’s underneath the so-called “resignation crisis”—and why resilience is not the issue. When systems lack accountability, care, or clarity, even the strongest employees will eventually disengage—not out of weakness, but as an act of survival (Maslach & Leiter, 2016).
🔁 Reflection Prompt for Leaders
“Who in your organization is still being asked to enter through the back—metaphorically or literally?”
Make no mistake: leadership is being watched more closely than ever. Performance is no longer enough. Presence, humanity, and accountability are the metrics that matter.
🧩 From the Bold Moves Strategy Library:
📗 The Change They Didn’t See Coming — On psychological transition and resistance
Amazon Link
📙 Leader’s Edition (coming this month) — On change, psychological transition, safety, and real accountability
📘 The Psychological Toll of Staying Too Long
LinkedIn Article
💬 Final Word
“Let’s lead differently. Together.”
Leadership isn’t about being the loudest voice in the room. It’s about being the one who notices who’s missing—and opens the door wider.
Let’s stop mistaking resilience for acceptance, and silence for agreement.
Let’s stop applauding innovation that forgets the humans inside the system.
And let’s stop requiring people to prove their worth in rooms they’ve already helped build.
It’s time to lead bold. Lead just. And lead out loud.
🖤 Dr. Tiffiny Black
Founder | Bold Moves Strategy, Inc.
A Division of Bold Moves Enterprises, Inc.
www.boldmovesstrategygroup.com
@boldmovesdrt
📚 References
Edmondson, A. (1999). Psychological safety and learning behavior in work teams. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44(2), 350–383.
Maslach, C., & Leiter, M. P. (2016). Understanding the burnout experience: Recent research and its implications for psychiatry. World Psychiatry, 15(2), 103–111.
Raji, I. D., et al. (2020). Saving face: Investigating the ethical concerns of facial recognition auditing. FAT ’20: Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency.
Obermeyer, Z., Powers, B., Vogeli, C., & Mullainathan, S. (2019). Dissecting racial bias in an algorithm used to manage the health of populations. Science, 366(6464), 447–453.
HuffPost. (2020). LeBron James’ story about a hotel janitor shows what allyship looks like. (Archived anecdote).
