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Leading Through Transition: Influence Over Authority

By Nishant Mehta —

TL;DR: In leadership transitions, your authority is highest when your control is lowest. The job is to create rhythm—clear standards, clean ownership, steady communication—so the work runs without you grabbing the wheel.

Last Friday morning, I met with my LEAD Atlanta mentee, who stepped into a new leadership role in the spring. Our discussion gravitated toward the challenges of leading others amidst cultural and organizational transitions. These transitions are rarely straightforward—they’re often messy, layered with the complexities of current dynamics, historical precedents, and entrenched traditions that shape the ways things have always been done.

I shared with my mentee a few #MehtaModels (leadership frameworks developed at MehtaCognition) for navigating these situations. Each #MehtaModel highlights why it matters when leading through periods of change, followed by actionable steps.

I hope that the insights I shared with him will resonate with you as well and prove useful in your own leadership journey.

1) Accountability Without Proximity

When things escalate, they land on your desk—even if you never touched the work. That isn’t unfair; it’s the job. The shift is from doing to ensuring. Your credibility is built when you absorb impact, sort the cause, and improve the system so the same thing doesn’t bounce back next week.

How to act:

  • Say “I’m accountable,” not “That wasn’t me.”
  • Diagnose: Is this a skill, clarity, or standards problem?
  • Decide the fix: coaching, clearer guardrails, or a standards reset.

2) The Authority–Control Paradox

The higher you go, the less you can personally control. If you default to “because I said so,” you’ll get short-term compliance and long-term resistance. Influence scales; force fractures. Use authority like a fire alarm, not a doorbell.

Reality check: Authority diminishes the more you use it. Influence compounds the more you invest in it.

3) The Meeting Question That Saves Hours

In every meeting, ask yourself: “Whose job am I doing right now?” Rescuing feels helpful; it silently breaks ownership. Pick the branch:

  • They don’t know it’s theirs. -> Clarify RACI/ownership.
  • They don’t know how. -> Coach, train, or pair.
  • They know and can, but won’t. -> Address values/fit.
  • You grabbed it out of habit. -> Stop rescuing; reset expectations.

Why it matters: When you do someone else’s job, two people are not doing their jobs: them—and now you.

4) Grow Capacity Without Losing Your A-Players

Patience is noble; your grace is budgeted by the grace your boss gives you. Capacity can grow, but payroll and morale can’t bleed forever. Protect your A-players on purpose, or you’ll teach them that excellence is punished.

Capacity Plan for B- and C-Players (time-boxed, not endless):

  • 30 days: Clarify scope, define “done/good/on time,” shadow once, do once together.
  • 60 days: Independent execution with weekly check-ins, targeted PD.
  • 90 days: Full ownership; your role moves to results and growth.Guardrail: While you grow one person, don’t quietly tax your top performers until they burn out. Protect them on purpose.

5) Trust—But Verify (Standards Make It Real)

“High standards” is meaningless if unwritten. Trust isn’t abdication; it’s clarity up front and light verification after. Standards keep you out of the weeds and keep the team out of guesswork.

Define your three absolutes:

  • What is “Done”? (clear deliverables)
  • What does “Good Enough” and “Great” look like? (quality bar with examples)
  • What is “On Time”? (deadlines and SLAs)

Lightweight reporting (1:1 meeting):

  • 3 bullets: Done / Next / Stuck
  • 1 metric or artifact: link, draft, or decision log
  • 1 risk: what could slip and the ask for help

This is hands-on, not micromanaging. It’s how you do your job while they do theirs.

6) Transition Means Unlearning—For Everyone

You’re learning a new role; your team is unlearning your predecessor (and possibly an interim). If you don’t name the reset, old habits will outlive old leaders. Clarity beats nostalgia.

Short memo, paired with your user manual, you can send this week:

  • Decision & comms norms (channels, response times)
  • Standards & templates (agendas, packets, comms style)
  • Ownership map (who owns what—and what “own” includes)
  • Escalation rules (when to pull you in vs. solve locally)

Iterate and share openly as you clarify and improve.

7) Manage Up—And Manage the Board

Boards and other leaders bring mission, oversight, and… personalities. Stay policy-aligned and chair-centered. You’re not choosing sides; you’re choosing process.

Basics that lower noise:

  • Clear, focused agendas and time-boxed committees—be the organizer.
  • Weekly meeting with the chair: Decisions made, issues brewing, asks.
  • Annual goals linked to the institution’s priorities and your team’s commitments.
  • Clarify who evaluates you and how—get criteria in writing, early.

8) Two Questions for Your Mirror

  1. Why do you want to lead?
  2. Why would anyone want to be led by you?

Live in the second question. It shifts you from ego to service. Your team feels the difference.

Bottom line: In a transition, don’t chase control. Build rhythm. When standards are clear and ownership is real, you won’t need the boss card. And when you do play it—rarely—it’ll still work.

That’s the compass. The rest is practice.