When Authority Is Missing

An empty chair, inviting someone to take the space.

Two very different conversations, rooted in the same dilemma.

A major decision in the business.

One, a key hire.

The other, the future direction of the company.

Independent issues. Different organizations. Separate stakeholders.

Despite looking dissimilar on the surface, they were bound by the same challenge. Authority was missing.

We default to what feels productive and safe. We brainstorm, collaborate, and talk things through from multiple angles, believing that if we stay in conversation long enough, the right answer will eventually surface.

We hope the decision will be made by consensus. That everyone will feel good about it. That we can stack hands, avoid conflict, and move forward together.

Unfortunately, the real issue gets quietly avoided.

There is surface-level agreement.

We need X.

We should do Y.

Heads nod. People leave believing, “Great, we're aligned.”

Time passes, and nothing really moves.

Why are we not moving forward? I thought we were aligned.

Because alignment is often mistaken for action. And agreement is often mistaken for authority.

Most leadership bottlenecks don’t belong to one person. They are created when authority is unclear, when decisions stay unnamed, when everyone assumes someone else has the right to make the call.

When authority is not explicit, leaders default to discussion instead of direction. Teams remain collaborative and polite, while momentum gradually evaporates.

The irony is that nothing appears to be wrong. People care. They are engaged. They want to do the right thing.

Without clear authority, progress slows to a crawl. Not because people lack capability. Because the authority to decide and own the next step has not been claimed.

Until authority is named, action stalls.