INsight/ Leading Beyond Authority

Manila, 23 October 2026 — How does leadership efficacy develop?

Story

Five months into a major transformation, the executive faced an uncomfortable realization. Despite hard work and many meetings, little had changed, and the momentum was fading.

At a difficult meeting, a colleague argued against the direction everyone had previously endorsed. The executive felt disappointment rising, and wondered if another conversation would make any difference.

Yet he decided to persevere in his leadership work and allowed concerns to surface that had remained unspoken for months. In the weeks that followed, he observed colleagues taking initiatives that had previously seemed unlikely. With these developments came growing confidence in their ability to make change happen together.

Challenge

Leadership involves influencing change, and the effects of our participation are rarely immediate, predictable, or within our control. Most changes require leading beyond authority.

When efforts repeatedly run into resistance and fail to produce results, it’s natural for confidence to diminish. Leaders begin to question their capacity to make a difference, even if influence remains possible.

In these circumstances—facing resistance, disappointment, and uncertainty—the challenge is to persevere in deliberate daily practice and develop mastery and confidence over time.

Question

Efficacy is both expressed and developed through the daily practice of leadership. The relationship between practice, mastery, and confidence unfolds over time.

Some experiences can reinforce familiar expectations and diminish confidence. Others can challenge leaders to persevere in practice and build confidence in their growing capacity to make a difference.

How are your daily and weekly experiences of influencing change shaping your confidence in what you can accomplish?

#LeadershipEfficacy

Concept illustration generated with AI