Why Technical Expertise and Experience Alone Aren’t Enough for Public Service Leadership
Carolyn Mozell is the founder and CEO of Leaders Who Connect and Inspire LLC and knows firsthand how transformative it can be when leaders and employees treat each other with mutual respect, kindness, and a genuine desire to see each other succeed. Carolyn served in some of the highest levels of local government leadership for over 25 years. Rising from executive assistant to deputy chief, she also knows that leadership is a privilege. Now, Carolyn leverages her direct experience advising elected officials, cabinet level leaders and activating diverse high performing teams to help leaders in business, nonprofit organizations and government agencies do the same.
As a public service professional, you’ve worked hard to build deep expertise and navigate complex systems. You know knowledge matters. You know experience matters. And you know results matter. But in practice, you’ve likely realized that technical expertise and experience alone aren’t enough to effectively lead people. Those skills may open the door to leadership, but they won’t necessarily keep you in the room—or guarantee you a seat at the decision-making table.
From Expertise to Presence: 4 Leadership Shifts Every Public Service Professional Needs
Know Yourself
Every leader has strengths, blind spots, and triggers. Self-awareness helps you recognize yours so you can respond with intention instead of reacting on autopilot. Leaders who know themselves project steady confidence, which builds trust and credibility with their teams.
Tip: Reflect on how you respond under stress. Do you withdraw? Push harder? Recognizing your patterns is the first step toward balance.
Manage Yourself
Public service is high-stakes work—deadlines, crises, and sensitive decisions are the norm. How you manage your emotions in those moments sets the tone for everyone else. When you stay calm and composed, your team feels safe, supported, and capable of performing under pressure.
Tip: Before responding in a tense situation, pause for a few deep breaths. This quick reset helps you model clarity and composure. I’m sure you’ve heard this tip a thousand times, but it’s effective and worth repeating.
Every leader has strengths, blind spots, and triggers. Self-awareness helps you recognize yours so you can respond with intention.
Know Others
Presence is how people experience you—through your words, body language, listening, and consistency. Strong presence isn’t about being rigid; it’s about showing up with clarity, empathy, and intentionality.
Tip: In your next meeting, give the speaker your full attention, no multitasking, no interruptions, no checking emails. That level of focus communicates respect and builds trust.
Manage Your Relationships
Leadership presence isn’t just about you, it’s about how you connect with others. Effective leaders lean into emotional intelligence to build trust, resolve conflict, and inspire collaboration across teams and departments. Strong relationships turn expertise into impact.
Tip: Schedule regular check-ins with peers, team members, collaborators or stakeholders to align expectations and strengthen trust before issues escalate.
The Bottom Line
Technical expertise may get you noticed, but leadership presence is what makes you memorable and effective.
In public service, your ability to lean into emotional intelligence and lead with confidence, calm, and grounded presence, is what transforms capable teams into resilient, high-performing ones. Developing these skills isn’t optional, it’s essential for leading effectively and ensuring that you and your team can create a positive, lasting impact in the communities you serve.
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