There is a line I once heard in an episode of Law & Order that has stayed with me far longer than any dramatic courtroom monologue. A New York attorney was being questioned about how she managed to obtain a sealed piece of evidence, and she simply smiled and said, “I have friends in low places.”
The implication was obvious: someone “below” the glamorous ranks of power, perhaps a clerk, a records officer, a receptionist, a lab technician, had made something possible that no amount of authority, ambition, or high-profile connection could have achieved.
It was a simple line, but the wisdom inside it is remarkably profound. The other version of her reply is “having friends in high places” which is what many of us prefer to have.
We live in a world obsessed with the upper deck of society. Everyone is networking upward, climbing, reaching, curating relationships that look good on paper. People chase CEOs, senior pastors, influencers, commissioners, directors, “big men,” and anyone with a shiny title. It is almost as if worth is measured by how elevated the people around you appear.
We brag about our social networks and connections forgetting that the word “social” is not limited to a certain class of people.
The world doesn’t run just because of the high places.
It also functions because of the low ones.
Think about it for a minute. If everyone was “big” who would open the doors? Serve as chauffeurs? Cleaners? Aren’t these the low people we tend to overlook and turn down our noses on?
The funny and ironic twist in all of this is that the people in “low places” often have the most direct access, the widest visibility, the deepest loyalty, and an unprecedented power.
The security guard knows who went in and out.
The secretary knows what is really happening behind the doors.
The cleaner hears conversations no one realises they are having loudly.
The driver sees the raw version of the “important” person.
The clerk understands the system far more intimately than the executive.
The technician sees details the manager cannot interpret.
The janitor knows which rooms matter and which rooms are façade.
In a society obsessed with prestige, we forget that proximity is power, and proximity does not always belong to the people at the top.
This is why the most grounded, emotionally intelligent, and truly powerful people treat “low places” with dignity. They understand that it’s not every important person that is noticeable and influence can come in varying forms.
They know that the people the world overlooks are often the ones who hold the keys both literally and metaphorically.
The Truth About Human Value
Our culture mistakenly believes that honour should flow “upward.” It applauds it. Encourages it. Shines a light on those who have magneted the creme de la cremes to their side.
But honour is at its most beautiful when it flows downward; when people treat those with less status as if they carried the same significance.
- People in low places rarely forget kindness.
- They rarely forget fairness.
- They rarely forget the person who looked them in the eye and saw them, not their job title.
High-ranking people may forget you when their priorities change.
But the ones in the “ordinary” roles? They remember who respected them and who didn’t.
And sometimes, when life pivots or doors shift, they become the very hands that lift you higher.
Why Investing in Low Places Matters
They See What Others Miss
Because they are in the background, they hold perspectives that people at the top never access.
They Often Have Authority
They know processes, details, and realities that determine outcomes.
They Are Usually More Authentic
There is less politics, less pretence, and less performance.
They Make Systems Work
Without them, the “important” people collapse. Imagine a secretary being off duty and the “big” man having to run his own schedule, answer his own calls and organise appointments.
They Inspire Humility
They remind us that human value is not tied to visibility. They represent the kind of power that cannot be faked. The kind that works when titles fail.
The Caveat
The idea of forming bonds with people in low places is not to be mistaken for a networking scheme and backup plan for if the high places turn out as dead ends.
We have to be sincere in our relationships. We have to treat then like any human but that take extra step to be somebody that means well and does well.
Replying to the door man when he tells you to have a nice day and remembering the door man’s name if possible.
Acknowledging that the cleaner is human. They may be there to clean up after you, but deserve to be treated as human beings.
Recognising the worth and work of the secretary as they ensure your work life stays on track.
Sure, they’ve all been hired to work and their work they must fulfil, but having such jobs should not belittle the respect you have for them. If anything, it should make you respect them more.
Relearning What Matters
Chasing people in high places is easy. It appeals to vanity.
But having friends in low places?
That is wisdom.
It is emotional intelligence.
It is the recognition that life moves not only through the hands of the powerful but through the hands of the faithful, the ordinary, the unseen.
Sometimes the cleaner opens a door no politician could.
The clerk gives you information no executive knows exists.
The driver protects you in ways a leader wouldn’t think to.
The cook, the messenger, the receptionist, and the assistants are the ones who change your story without ever stepping onto a stage.
The Beautiful Paradox
The world respects titles.
But life runs through people.
Not big people.
People!
And until we treat every human being, high, low, and in-between, as carriers of dignity and value, we will continue to misunderstand what true influence looks like.
So the next time life surprises you, don’t be shocked if your breakthrough came not from a boardroom, but from a basement.
Sometimes the most important friendships you will ever make are not at the top of the ladder, but on the steps you were too busy climbing.
Cornelius Ndubuisi 