Not Everyone Deserves a Seat at the Table (Including You)

Let’s crush a myth right now: You don’t “deserve” a seat at the table just because you want one.

You don’t get to be in the room because you feel ready. You don’t get to lead because you have opinions. You don’t get to be listened to because you exist.

You get a seat because you earned it. With results. With value. With consistent, battle-tested proof that when you speak, it matters.

The truth is, most people are demanding inclusion in rooms they haven’t bled for.

And that includes you, if you’re still mistaking ambition for qualification.

We’ve confused worth with value. There’s a masive difference between human worth and professional value.

Everyone has inherent dignity. But not everyone brings something to the mission.

In the military, you earn your place. In elite teams, you don’t get invited just because you want it badly.

You bring results, or you bounce. You contribute, or you get replaced. You perform, or you get benched. That’s not toxic. That’s accountability.

And it’s missing in too many rooms.

There are too many tables, and not enough builders. Today, people are obsessed with “having a voice.” But what are they building?

They want: A seat at the table. A title. A platform. A voice. A following.

But they don’t want: The work. The failure. The iteration. The pain. The waiting.

Everyone wants to sit. No one wants to sweat.

If you’re not building something… If you’re not bringing strategy, results, insight, or courage…

Then what the hell are you doing at the table? Inclusion without expectation breeds nothing but mediocrity.

There’s this idea floating around that everyone should be included by default. Wrong.

Inclusion is powerful when it serves the mission. It’s super powerful when it brings new perspectives, sharp insight, and cultural intelligence.

But inclusion for the sake of appeasement? That’s not equity. That’s entitlement theater.

You don’t lift teams by lowering standards. You don’t foster excellence by avoiding hard conversations. You don’t build elite rooms by flooding them with fragile egos.

Excellence is inclusive. But not everyone is excellent.

There are no shortcuts to get a seat at the table. You want a seat?

Earn it.

Get better at your craft. Produce results people can’t ignore. Lead teams that win. Make things happen without being told. Take ownership when things go sideways. Solve problems no one else wants to touch.

Then (and only then) pull up a chair.

Not because someone gave it to you. But because they couldn’t afford to leave it empty.

Entitlement destroys teams:  The second people feel owed a seat, they stop contributing.

They expect decisions without sacrifice. Authority without responsibility. Respect without track record.

And what happens? The team suffers.  The organization suffers.

Because now leadership has to manage egos, not drive execution. They waste time pacifying feelings instead of pushing results. They dilute the room with opinions instead of elevating the voices that actually deliver.

One entitled seat will poison the whole table.

Want to know if you deserve to be in the room? Ask yourself: What problem do I consistently solve? What clarity do I bring when there’s confusion? What do people count on me for (without fail)? What pain point disappears when I show up? What value do I bring that makes others stronger?

If you can’t answer those questions, don’t demand a seat. Start earning one.

But here’s what no one tells you: Sitting at the table sucks.

It’s not prestige, it’s pressure.

You don’t get more praise: you get more responsibility. You don’t get more comfort: you get more exposure. You don’t get more freedom: you get more accountability.

Everyone wants to be in the room until it’s time to: Make the hard call. Fire the underperformer. Own the failure. Defend the vision. Lead the turnaround. Speak the hard truth.

The table isn’t a throne. It’s a battle station.

You still want a seat?

Some of you are frustrated because you feel overlooked. But ask yourself: “Have I built enough to be undeniable?”

Because when you bring value (real, measurable, relentless value), people notice.

You don’t need to beg for a seat when you’re the one keeping the machine running.

So if you’re not at the table yet: Keep building. Keep showing up. Keep delivering. Keep serving. Keep solving.

Stand. Serve. Lead from where you are. Your results will drag your chair to the table when the time is right.

Here’s the hardest part to understand: Maybe you don’t deserve your current seat either.

Maybe you’ve been coasting. Maybe you’ve been hiding. Maybe you’ve been getting credit for other people’s work. Maybe your last big win was years ago. Maybe you’re just “in the room” because no one’s kicked you out yet.

It’s time to ask: “Am I still earning this seat every day?”

Because the moment you stop earning it, you start rotting in place.

The best leaders re-earn their seat daily. They don’t rest. They prove. They push. They grow. They build.

Complacency doesn’t belong in elite rooms.

When you do earn your seat (really earn it), everything changes.

You stop talking to be heard. You start speaking to move the mission.

You stop defending your ego. You start protecting the standard.

You stop asking, “Do I belong?” You start asking, “How do I multiply?”

Because now you’re not just at the table, you’re building it.

And you’re deciding who gets to join you.

If you’re still outside the rood: good. Stay there.

Build. Refine. Hustle. Lead. Grow. Bleed. Repeat.

The table will come. Or better yet, you’ll build your own.

But don’t demand a seat because you want to feel important. Earn it because you’ve made yourself impossible to ignore.

And if you’re already in the room?

Act like it matters. Because someone hungrier is coming for your seat.