Authority Isn't Power
The CEO makes decisions, but the executive assistant decides which decisions reach the desk—and most people can't tell the difference
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The CEO has authority.
The executive assistant has power.
Most people can’t tell the difference.
Authority is the ability to make decisions. Power is the ability to determine which decisions get made. Authority is visible on the org chart. Power is invisible until you need it.
You spend eighteen months trying to reach a CEO you want to partner with. Cold emails. LinkedIn messages. Mutual connections. Zero response. Your colleague gets a meeting with the same person in two weeks. You ask how. “I called and talked to his assistant. We ended up chatting about her son’s soccer team for a few minutes. She asked what I needed. I explained. She found a time.”
You think your colleague got lucky. Your colleague understood where power actually lives.
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