Borrowed Authority Is Not Leadership

The Fastest Way to Erode Authority During Change

Change already asks people to give up certainty.

What they are listening for, often subconsciously, is whether the leader in front of them is standing inside the decision or hiding behind it.

One of the quickest ways to erode authority during change is the phrase:

“So-and-so said this is why we’re doing it.”

Even when it’s true.

When leaders attribute change to someone else, corporate, the board, a consultant, another executive, it sends an unintended message:

This decision doesn’t fully belong to me.

That subtle distance matters.

Why This Language Fails Leaders

When leaders explain change by pointing elsewhere, three things happen:

• Authority weakens.
  If the decision came from someone else, people naturally wonder who is actually in charge.

• Trust erodes.
  Teams don’t know whether to align with the message or wait for the “real” decision-maker to show up.

• Ownership dissolves.
  Accountability becomes blurry. If outcomes go poorly, responsibility feels transferable instead of held.

Even well-intentioned leaders fall into this trap when they want to be transparent or fair. But transparency without ownership creates confusion, not clarity.

Ownership Is Not About Origin

It’s about endorsement.

Leadership does not require that you authored every decision.
It requires that you stand behind the decisions you communicate.

Once a change passes through you, it becomes yours.

Not:

• “This is coming from above.”

• “They want us to try this.”

• “I was told we have to.”

But:

• “Here’s what’s changing.”

• “Here’s why we’re moving in this direction.”

• “Here’s what I expect, and here’s what I’ll support.”

That language signals stability, even when circumstances are unstable.

During Change, People Follow Conviction, Not Attribution

Teams don’t need to know every upstream conversation.
They need to know that their leader believes the direction is sound enough to own it publicly.

When leaders speak with borrowed authority, teams hesitate.
When leaders speak with personal ownership, teams adapt faster, even if they disagree.

Because clarity is more reassuring than consensus.

What Strong Ownership Sounds Like

Ownership language:

• centers responsibility,

• communicates alignment,

• creates psychological safety through decisiveness.

It tells people:

You may not like this, but you can trust that I’m here with you in it.

And that trust compounds over time.

Change doesn’t require perfection. It requires leaders willing to stand in front of it.

If this resonated, you may want to read this next → What Emotionally Intelligent Leadership Actually Looks Like