Accompaniment
When you think about your leadership, do you think about accompaniment?
I recently listened to a podcast interview with José Andrés. In many ways, Chef Andrés is a man of extremes.
On the one hand, he has multiple Michelin stars and numerous culinary awards for his modern Spanish cuisine, and is known for introducing tapas and avant-guard Spanish cuisine to the United States. Reservations for his restaurant are in high demand, and he’s cooked for celebrities and dignitaries, and served as a U.S. Culinary Ambassador.
On the other hand, Chef Andrés is known for founding Central World Kitchen, a global organization focused on feeding millions of people affected by natural disasters and humanitarian crises. He and his organization go to the hardest hit areas with the sole focus of feeding as many people as they can. This is where things got interesting for me.
As I listened to this podcast, every story brought to mind the idea of accompaniment.
Chef Andrés shared how they partner with local restaurants, chefs, and similar local organizations and establishments, leveraging their kitchens, tables and their staff. This makes cooking and distributing foods much easier and increases accessibility for those who need meals.
Wherever possible, they leverage local suppliers for ingredients supplies, helping reinforce areas of the system that were impacted by the disaster. This not only helps get supplies in quickly, but it allows them to pull out of the area while leaving strong systems in place for long term support.
Chef Andrés even shared one story where they received feedback that the locals liked their beans cooked “a different way” than what his team was doing. They listened and learned. While the traditional preparation took longer, it better honored the local traditions and was much more appreciated by the community.
In each story I heard the same themes. Rather than coming in and forcing their approaches, resources, and systems on the local communities, they focused on adding to, not overriding, what was already in place. They were there WITH the local communities, not FOR or OVER them.
Accompaniment is defined as “something added to support, complete, or enhance another main thing.” And it's something I often think about with leadership.
I was first introduced to accompaniment as a leadership style when I had the opportunity to visit Arusha Lutheran Medical Centre (ALMC) in Tanzania in 2016. As their founder, medical missionary Dr Mark Jacobsen, gave us a tour of the hospital and their incredible work, he shared that their approach was rooted in the African concept of Ubuntu, which means “I am because we are”. This philosophy focuses on the interdependence of humans on one another and service towards our responsibility to a greater whole.
In the case of ALMC, rather than exclusively bringing in outside providers for medical care, the hospital focused on working alongside local practitioners, helping educate and support them so that ultimately they could take over responsibility for the facility. When we were there, they were fundraising for a new nursing school, to make it easier, more affordable, and more accessible to provide local nursing care.
Some leaders direct, telling others what to do and how to do it.
Other leaders operate, finding ways to increase efficiency and decrease costs.
Some leaders delegate, giving others responsibility to take action and get things done.
Other leaders inspire, lifting a team up with a vision of something incredible.
Great leaders have multiple styles that they can pull from, based on what the circumstances and goals require.
Where might leadership through accompaniment be helpful in your work?
October 1, 2026
About the author:
Christina Von Stroh is a leadership coach who helps her clients become wildly successful by applying iterative software development practices to achieve their dreams. Want to work with Christina to help you iterate towards the person you’re becoming?
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