Potlucks have no VIP section. The pastor stands in the same line as the new guy.

A queue for food is one of the few places where rank genuinely does not apply. Everybody waits the same time and takes from the same dishes, and whoever speaks on stage holds the same paper plate as the newest arrival. That levelling is not an accident of catering. Shared food has always been the fastest way to flatten a room.

Look for the place in your week where hierarchy quietly disappears, and use it. Eat with people outside your usual group at lunch, or at the staff table on your shift. Status is harder to maintain while you are both holding plates.