Speaker 1: Helping leaders motivate their people to a higher level of
Speaker 1: performance through strong human relations, team building and Goala GV.
Speaker 1: This is the seven Minute Leadership Podcast with your host
Speaker 1: Paul Fellovaledo.
Speaker 2: Hello everyone, and welcome to the seven Minute Leadership Podcast.
Speaker 2: It's episode five sixty two. Let's talk about a gap
Speaker 2: that quietly destroys teams credibility and momentum. It's the gap
Speaker 2: between title and influence. Every organization has people with impressive
Speaker 2: titles manager, director, chief, CEO. But leadership does not live
Speaker 2: on a business card. It lives in behavior. It lives
Speaker 2: in trust, It lives in what people do when you're
Speaker 2: not in the room. Your title gives you authority on paper,
Speaker 2: influence gives you authority in real life. If you have
Speaker 2: ever walked into a room and felt people go quiet,
Speaker 2: not because they respect you, but because they're waiting for
Speaker 2: you to leave, you've seen this gap in action. If
Speaker 2: people comply with you but do not commit to you,
Speaker 2: that gap is wide open. Influence is earned in moments
Speaker 2: most leaders ignore. I learned this early in ems. You
Speaker 2: can be the officer on an ambulance, but if the
Speaker 2: crew does not trust your judgment at three am, when
Speaker 2: everything is going sideways. Your title means nothing. They will
Speaker 2: follow the medic they trust, not the patch on your sleeve.
Speaker 2: Influence shows up when things are uncomfortable, when decisions are unpopular,
Speaker 2: when accountability is required, and when excuses are easy. A
Speaker 2: title can force short term obedience. Influence creates long term followership.
Speaker 2: And here's how the gap forms. Some mistake position for permission.
Speaker 2: They think because they were promoted, people owe them respect.
Speaker 2: Respect does not transfer with a promotion. It resets every
Speaker 2: single time. Every new role puts you back at zero.
Speaker 2: With influence, you earn it again through consistency, fairness, and competence.
Speaker 2: Another cause of this gap is visibility without presence leaders
Speaker 2: who are technically around but emotionally unavailable. They attend meetings
Speaker 2: but miss the mood. They hear words, but mismeaning. Influence
Speaker 2: requires presence. People need to feel seen, not managed. Aviation
Speaker 2: teaches this well. In the cockpit. Rank exists, but influence
Speaker 2: keeps the plane safe. A captain who shuts down input
Speaker 2: because of title creates danger. A captain who invites challenge
Speaker 2: creates trust. The checklist does not care about ego. The
Speaker 2: weather does not risk inspect your title. Strong leaders close
Speaker 2: the gap by doing a few things very well. First,
Speaker 2: they keep their word. Influence leaks every time you say
Speaker 2: one thing and do another. People track patterns, not speeches. Second,
Speaker 2: they make decisions and own the outcome. Influence erodes when
Speaker 2: leaders hide behind committees, policies, or silence. You do not
Speaker 2: need to be perfect, You just need to be accountable. Third,
Speaker 2: they step into hard conversations. Early nothing kills influence faster
Speaker 2: than avoiding issues everyone else sees. Unspoken problems turn into
Speaker 2: quiet disrespect. And fourth, they serve before they direct, not
Speaker 2: by being soft, but by removing obstacles, clearing confusion, and
Speaker 2: protecting standards, backing their people when it truly matters. Here's
Speaker 2: a simple test. If your title disappeared tomorrow, who would
Speaker 2: still listen to you? That answer should tell you everything.
Speaker 2: Influence is built when people believe you are competent, consistent,
Speaker 2: and fair. They do not need to like every decision,
Speaker 2: They need to trust your intent. When the gap between
Speaker 2: title and influences wide teams stall, morale drops, good people disengage,
Speaker 2: average performance becomes acceptable. When the gap is closed, something
Speaker 2: powerful happens. People move with you, not because they have to,
Speaker 2: but because they want to You lead from behavior, not
Speaker 2: from a badge. You earn followership through action, not announcements.
Speaker 2: It's very simple. If you want to close the gap,
Speaker 2: start small, ask for honest feedback. Watch how people respond
Speaker 2: when you enter the room. Notice whether people bring you
Speaker 2: problems early or hide them. Influence leaves clues. Your job
Speaker 2: as a leader is to notice them and respond. So
Speaker 2: leadership is not proven by the title on your door
Speaker 2: or what's on your business card. It's proven by the
Speaker 2: trust behind your back. Close the gap and your leadership
Speaker 2: becomes real if you ignore it, and you will spend
Speaker 2: your career reminding people who you are instead of being
Speaker 2: who they follow. And if you haven't done so, please
Speaker 2: jump over to my YouTube channel. The link is in
Speaker 2: the description of the show and also on my website.
Speaker 2: I have a ton more leadership short videos and select
Speaker 2: full length seven minute leadership podcasts available for you there
Speaker 2: as well. This has been the seven Minute Leadership podcast
Speaker 2: and I thank you for listening.
Speaker 1: For more Paul Fell of Alito Podcasts, visit paulfellowalito dot com.