The Quiet Difference Between Authority and Power

Every organisation has authority.

What’s less obvious is how that authority is formed - and what it costs when it isn’t aligned.

In misaligned systems, authority is either taken or granted. It’s asserted through dominance, or borrowed from hierarchy. In aligned systems, authority is something else entirely. It is created - quietly, steadily, and sustainably - through integrity, alignment with purpose and values, and meaningful impact.

That distinction matters more than most leaders realise.

In misaligned organisations, authority rarely feels stable. Some leaders take authority by force. They assert control, demand compliance, and use fear - subtly or overtly - to maintain momentum. Their teams are busy, deadlines are met, and outputs are delivered. But the cost is high. Wherever these leaders go, they leave behind tension: resentment, burnout, quiet resistance. People follow, but only because they have to.

Others rely on authority granted by hierarchy. They hold the title, the role, the decision rights - yet they don’t fully trust them. They hesitate. They seek permission. They hide behind policy and process, hoping structure will do the work that leadership has not. Authority exists on paper, but not in practice.

In both cases, people comply.

But they don’t commit.

Aligned organisations work differently.

Authority is not seized or assigned - it is created. Created authority emerges when a leader consistently honours the organisation’s purpose, lives its values, and enables real progress toward shared goals. It doesn’t depend on title. It doesn’t require force. And it can’t be revoked by politics or hierarchy.

People follow these leaders not out of obligation, but out of trust.

I was reminded of this distinction while working with a leadership team that was deeply divided - not by intent, but by how authority showed up day to day.

One group of leaders relied on dominance and control. They were decisive, task-focused, and relentless in execution. Their teams were productive on the surface, but the culture beneath was brittle. Fear drove performance. Compliance replaced commitment. The results looked strong, but they were fragile.

Another group sat at the opposite end of the spectrum. They believed authority came from hierarchy and policy. They invested heavily in frameworks, procedures, and rules, expecting others to follow because the organisation chart said they should. Their intentions were good. But their impact was limited. The organisation became tangled in bureaucracy that few truly owned. Decisions stalled. Teams waited. Authority existed - but it wasn’t alive.

Leadership team in conflict

Both groups were working hard.

Both believed they were doing the right thing.

And both were operating in a misaligned system.

The shift didn’t come from restructuring roles or rewriting policies. It came when the leadership team began reconnecting with purpose and values - not as statements on a wall, but as a guide for how authority was exercised.

Leaders who had relied on dominance became aware of their ripple effect on culture. They began to take responsibility not just for outcomes, but for how those outcomes were achieved. As fear receded, trust began to form.

Leaders who had hidden behind hierarchy stopped waiting for permission. As they led with greater clarity and integrity, their confidence grew - and with it, their influence. Authority followed naturally.

Over time, something subtle but profound changed.

Authority stopped being taken.

It stopped being borrowed.

It began to be created.

People didn’t follow because they were told to.

They followed because it made sense to.

That’s the difference alignment makes. It doesn’t remove authority - it transforms how authority is formed.

I often think about authority like gravity. Gravity doesn’t announce itself. It doesn’t demand attention or seek permission. It simply exists - and everything responds to it.

Authority in aligned organisations works the same way. Leaders who live the purpose, honour the values, and enable progress don’t need to assert authority or rely on title. Their presence creates pull. Decisions orbit them. Behaviour adjusts naturally.

In misaligned organisations, leaders try to simulate gravity - through force, hierarchy, or compliance. But gravity can’t be faked. The harder they push, the more resistance they create.

Real authority isn’t imposed. It’s generated.

And when authority is created rather than enforced, leadership becomes lighter, cultures become healthier, and organisations move forward with far less friction - because people are no longer being managed into motion. They are choosing it.

Where in your leadership are you relying on authority that’s taken or granted - and what would change if you focused instead on creating authority through alignment, integrity, and impact?