We All Carry the Boxes
Lead by example by doing everything you ask your people to do.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~ongoing to results
- Steps
- 3
- Confidence
- 78%
Liniger's rule 'we all carry the boxes' means a leader must be willing to do everything their employees do to prove they'll work just as hard. He resisted having an aide carry his briefcase, insisting he was a man who could carry his own. He ties it to Shackleton, who led by example on the ice, staying hands-on to ensure everyone survived. The principle preserves credibility as a company scales and the leader necessarily becomes more strategic. It also surfaces the fearless people worth promoting, like the aide who told Liniger to get his own damn door.
Origin
Liniger read about the concept and adopted it, then lived it on 200+ annual speaking days where he insisted on carrying his own bags rather than letting junior staff wait on him, which is how he discovered his fearless future officer.
Core principles
- 01A leader must do everything their employees do to prove they'll work just as hard.
- 02Credibility comes from visible, hands-on effort, not title.
- 03Refuse special treatment that separates you from the team.
- 04Even as you scale strategically, model the willingness to do the work.
How to run it
- 1
Do the work you ask of others
Periodically carry the boxes yourself, doing the same unglamorous tasks your employees do, to prove your effort matches theirs.
- 2
Refuse separating perks
Decline the special treatment that elevates you above the team; carry your own briefcase, get your own door.
Pro tip Watch for who treats you as an equal rather than deferring; that fearlessness signals leadership potential.
- 3
Stay hands-on as you scale
As the company grows and you become more strategic, keep modeling the willingness to do the work so credibility survives scale.
Watch out Pure hands-off distance at scale can cost you the respect that hands-on effort earned.
In the wild
A young aide kept carrying Liniger's briefcase and suitcase until Liniger told him he could carry his own. Later, loaded down with bags at a Marriott, Liniger asked the aide to get the door, and the aide shot back 'you're a man, get your own damn door.'
→ Liniger recognized the aide's fearlessness and humor, and the man became one of his top officers and closest friends.
Ernest Shackleton led his stranded crew hands-on, helping on the ground and ensuring survival tasks got done, rather than commanding from a distance.
→ All 27 men survived over a year and a half, and every man called him the greatest leader they'd ever met.
Common mistakes
Accepting the trappings of rank
Letting people wait on you and exempting yourself from the work signals you won't work as hard as your team, eroding credibility.
Is it for you?
Best for
Founders scaling from hands-on to strategic who want to keep team respect.
Not ideal for
Leaders whose constant hands-on involvement would prevent necessary delegation and strategic focus.
From the transcript
“I have a concept I read about called we all carry the boxes”
“I felt as a leader uh that I had to do everything that my employees did to prove that I'll work just as hard as…”
From the episode
Dave Liniger: Top Leadership Principles to Achieve Extraordinary Entrepreneurship Success
Dave Liniger