I have to agree with this, people will be a lot more willing to do what is asked of them, if you show you are willing to do what you ask. If you can't get your hands dirty with your troops, they are going to be a lot less likely to dirty their hands for you.
@Zombies - I can't say I have seen a lot of monarchs overthrown in my time. I played a lot in my younger days in an honor whoring kingdom, and never had any aspirations to lead, though I do remember leading once or twice in more ghetto kingdoms. I only recently started playing again, and usually end up leading more because I'm the only competent player willing to do it (10 years in my career means I get a lot of leadership experience whether I want it or not!). I lean heavily on my top players, to help fill in my knowledge gaps and to make sure I don't overlook an important detail.