I could never break through to that next level of leadership. The frustration was compounded because I knew I was a good leader.

Outside of work, my influence was thriving.
For nearly two decades, I'd been leading people; serving as an ordained minister, preparing for pastoral ordination, and impacting lives week after week. I knew I had something to offer.

But professionally, it didn’t translate. I showed up strong in certain environments and tentative in others. I had situational authority, confident when conditions felt familiar, hesitant when they didn’t.

When I interviewed for a big leadership role after many years, I knew I had a shot, but I was also nervous because I'd been rejected so many times before. Subconsciously, I had prepared myself for another rejection.

The final interview was with an executive vice president, the person the role would report to. As the conversation intensified, something unexpected happened. The personal authority I lived in everywhere except work took over. I spoke with clarity and conviction, and without shrinking.

After one comment, I thought, I can’t believe I just said that.

I got the promotion.

From that moment on, everything changed. New roles. Greater responsibility. Broader scope. More influence.

Not because I suddenly became more capable, but because I stopped separating who I was from how I led.

The purpose of the story is what I learned. Authority isn’t something you turn on when the conditions are right. It’s something you embody, everywhere.