291 : The Consolation Prize

You've seen the phrase a hundred times. 'Influence without authority.' It shows up in leadership programmes, competency frameworks, and performance reviews like it's a skill you can simply learn.Here's what nobody seems to remember: the people with the most influence in your organisation almost never have the most seniority. Those people shape the decision before the meeting starts. They build trust so consistently that people seek them out, not because they have to, because the thinking gets better when they're involved.That's a kind of power no organisation chart can grant, and no restructure can take away.So why do most of us still chase the title first? Why do we assume authority is the prerequisite, when the evidence keeps saying it's the consolation prize?Authority lets you announce things. Influence lets you achieve them. Most leaders live between those two positions, some never choose where they should stand.I wrote about what actually making the choice this week. Four habits.…