So, I think I’ve figured it out. The higher-level position you have, the less one has to care about the overall outcomes. That’s for the people below to stress about.

Overwhelmed by workload? Unknowns? Hostage by abusive clients? That's for the lower-level employees to have to endure. Higher-level employees get to judge the outcomes, based on their subjective opinions and other people's view of their success.