Influence is a Long Game

I’ve held roles with formal authority. I’ve managed teams, signed off on projects, and carried responsibility for results. Those experiences mattered, but they’re not what give me the deepest energy. What I find most meaningful is coaching, mentoring, and supporting others without needing to direct their work.

That has taught me an important lesson: authority and influence are not the same. Authority comes with a title or a reporting line. Influence comes from how people experience you—whether they trust you, whether you create clarity, whether they feel safe contributing their best. Authority is granted instantly. Influence has to be earned.

And it is earned gradually. Influence doesn’t appear in a single presentation or a decisive meeting. It builds over time, through consistency. You show up when you say you will. You follow through on commitments. You listen fully. You share what you know in ways that help others succeed. These may feel like small gestures, but over time they add up.

That’s why I call influence a long game. Authority can vanish with a reorganization or a new boss. But the credibility and trust you build stay with you. They become part of your identity, part of why people seek you out when the stakes are high.

I don’t see this as a consolation prize for those without managerial roles. Influence is leadership in its own right. It is how experienced professionals extend their impact beyond the boundaries of a job description. The healthiest organizations are those where leadership is distributed—where influence flows through many people, not only those with formal authority.

The discipline required is patience. You rarely see results right away. Yet the accumulation is real. Over time, your steady presence becomes a form of gravity that others rely on.

Influence is a long game. And for those willing to play it, the impact will always outlast any title.