By Sarah Nicastro, Founder and Editor in Chief, Future of Field Service
I’m headed home from London, just having wrapped our Future of Field Service Live event. It was a wonderful day full of lightbulb moments, knowledge sharing, and community building – but one of the most special parts was announcing this year’s Stand Out 50 leaders.
If you’re not familiar, Future of Field Service began the Stand Out 50 in 2024. Having spent many years working with service leaders, I have a deep respect for the unique role they play and all that they juggle. Stand Out 50 accepts nominations over a two-month period each year and then awards 50 leaders who are having a truly exceptional impact. Our objective is of course to recognize their hard work, but also to create broader awareness of it within their businesses and beyond (as service leaders are often not celebrated enough).
Toward the end of Thursday’s event, we unveiled the 2026 Stand Out 50 and were fortunate to have nine individuals with us in-person to receive their award and celebrate with the community. Please join me in giving these leaders another massive congratulations!
In my morning keynote, I shared some reflections on why I see strong leadership as particularly crucial in service right now. So much is changing, so rapidly and leaders really are the link between the service of today and what it is becoming. The challenges are real, but the opportunities are exciting. In my view, though, the potential that exists won’t be possible to attain without stand out leadership.
Why? Well, first and foremost, today’s talent demands it. Emotional intelligence, authenticity, empathy, psychological safety, the ability to create a culture that is change adept and resilient – these aren’t “fluffy” ideals, but leadership imperatives.
Further, leaders will be responsible for overseeing a delicate time of transformation. AI is here to stay and should be wielded, but not at the expense of what makes service special (which is the people). Striking the right balance, and pace, of innovation without sacrificing ample focus on human talent is of paramount importance if we want the future of service to look bright.
So, it was an honor to celebrate 50 leaders who are giving their all to meeting today’s challenges head-on, who are pouring themselves into their teams, and who want to nurture the best of what service has been while ushering in what it can be going forward.
In our process of nominations, we’ve debated how specific to be, but I’ve maintained that I don’t want the process to be prescriptive. While certain attributes are universally important, uniqueness should be celebrated too. As such, reading through the nominations is such an interesting and heartwarming process each year.
What we ask is that those nominating share anecdotes (and evidence, where applicable) of how they feel the candidate stands out across three categories: purposeful innovation, authenticity, and ability to execute. The entries that roll in illustrate a wide variety of impressive efforts – and a big impact on teams, customers, and companies.
I’d like to share an anonymous example from each category to offer a sense of why celebrating these leaders is such a worthwhile cause.
Innovation: Prioritizing Long-Term Impact
“He is an open-minded and forward-thinking leader who actively seeks diverse perspectives and encourages constructive challenge. This mindset not only strengthens decision-making but also fosters a culture of collaboration and innovation across his teams. He creates an environment where people feel empowered to think differently, take ownership, and focus on outcomes that genuinely matter.
What sets him apart is his ability to balance commercial realities with strategic vision. He does not shy away from short-term pain when it is necessary to deliver long-term impact. Instead, he leads with transparency, bringing his teams and stakeholders on the journey, building trust and alignment along the way.
His leadership consistently translates into stronger customer relationships, improved service outcomes, and a more resilient, future-focused organization. He demonstrates that great leadership is not about quick wins, but about making the right decisions for lasting success.”
Authenticity: Action To Makes People Feel Valued
“At his very core, he is a servant-based leader. As his career advanced into senior service roles, he has established a reputation for being approachable, trustworthy, and results-oriented. He leads with compassion and empathy, creating a safe environment where differences of opinion are valued. No question is out of bounds.
During a time of great internal change, he proactively took the company's core attributes and translated them into the global service organization operating norms. As he introduced them through a series of town-hall style meetings, he openly shared how he lives them and provided examples of how we can hold each other accountable. More important than focusing on “the what”, he stresses “the how;” ensuring people feel valued, honored, listened to, and that they make a difference.
He reads every comment from our employee engagement surveys and consistently challenges us to take care of the people who care for our customers. He leads by example in tangible ways. He has been known to have ice cream delivered to your house for your kids after a tough week, or to send a handwritten card to acknowledge a significant event or personal challenge. In speaking with team members around the world, the most common feedback I hear is that he listens, he cares, he acts, and I trust him!
On a practical level, since stepping into his current role, our employee engagement scores have increased by 20%, reflecting a stronger sense of trust across the team. He supports employee recognition and also reinforces development and investment in people, leading the charge for role alignment, career progression, and team equity.”
Execution: Focus Far Beyond Quick Wins
“One of his greatest strengths as a leader is his ability to turn strategy into execution. I've watched him throughout his career develop thoughtful plans, gain buy-in from the people around him, and then follow through until those plans produce measurable results. He doesn't chase quick wins or short-term fixes. He builds processes, develops people, and creates accountability so improvements are sustainable.
Throughout his leadership career, he has consistently been entrusted with growing and transforming service organizations. That trust isn't accidental. Organizations continue to place him in increasingly larger leadership roles because of his ability to improve operational performance, strengthen customer relationships, and build high-performing teams. His progression from technician to executive leadership reflects a track record of delivering results wherever he's gone.
What has always impressed me is that he understands successful execution requires more than good ideas. He believes strategy only works when everyone understands the objective, their role in achieving it, and how success will be measured. He has a unique ability to align people around a common vision while maintaining accountability at every level of an organization. I've also seen his commitment to continuous improvement throughout his career. He is constantly evaluating processes, asking what can be done better, and implementing changes that improve efficiency, customer experience, and long-term organizational performance. Rather than accepting the status quo, he creates a culture where improvement becomes part of the organization's identity.”
The Stand Out 50 awards wouldn’t be possible without the time of my co-judges. A sincere thank you to Lauren Neal, Founder of Valued at Work; Ged Cranny, retired service leader who spent more than 45 years with Konica Minolta; and Roy Dockery, Founder of Visionary Service Operations who kindly volunteered their time on the awards because they also feel strongly about the value of celebrating strong leadership.
In the coming weeks and months, you’ll see insights shared from the Stand Out 50, so stay tuned! This is just the beginning.