How to Gain Real Leadership Power When Everyone Else Chases Titles

And by power, I don’t mean dominance. I mean those moments when you felt centred, in control, able to minimise negative outcomes in your interactions with others and in your work. Those moments when you felt hopeful about the future and confident things would turn out well.

Do you know what it was that made you feel powerful within yourself?

We often think power comes from competence, achievements, money, or even titles. Yet, just because we have been given the title of leader doesn’t mean others see us as one - or even want to follow us.

Those times when we feel clear, optimistic, and truly powerful are when we trust ourselves and align with what we want.

But there is something more.

The Hidden Frequency of LEADERSHIP

Recently, a groundbreaking study using the SPANE scale (Scale of Positive and Negative Experience) tested the hypothesis that the highest vibration a human could feel was love or joy.

Participants were placed inside a Faraday cage - shielded from the earth’s electromagnetic field - and asked to share stories from their lives. When they recounted experiences of love, gratitude, and joy, huge bursts of energy were recorded.

Researchers also measured people’s responses during stories of anger, frustration, and hopelessness.

But here’s where it gets interesting: every now and then, there was a frequency that spiked 40 times higher than love or joy. At first, scientists were baffled. It didn’t always correlate with positive or negative emotions.

When they revisited the recordings, they realised these spikes occurred when participants spoke from a place of authenticity - those raw, goosebump-inducing moments when someone spoke their truth.

Authenticity, they discovered, is one of the most powerful generators of human energy - 40 times stronger than love or joy.

Why Authenticity Matters in Leadership

Authenticity is not about oversharing your feelings or venting in the name of “being real.” That’s performative or even emotionally manipulative.

It’s about alignment. When your words match your heart, and your actions reflect your soul, you radiate a form of power that others instinctively trust.

In leadership, this means speaking the truth even when it’s uncomfortable. Not to be “right” or to wound others, but because truth is what clears space for growth, accountability, and connection.

When you lead from authenticity, you stop trying to prove your power—and instead, you embody it. You allow yourself to be vulnerable  - admitting when you don't know something or letting others know that a new goal is going to be tough. More importantly, you allow others to express their vulnerability without shutting them down.

It also means dropping the corporate speak and the need to ‘fake it.’ If you don’t believe in what you’re saying, no one else will either.

In my previous company, I once directed a CEO of an energy company on camera to talk about a new product that his European head office was launching.

He wasn't doing a very good job. But the biggest tell tale sign he didn't believe in the new product was when he was touting the benefits, but his head was shaking no.

When the camera stopped rolling, I asked gently "I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but your head is shaking no. Is there something about the new product you are uncomfortable with?"

And then he spilled out all the reasons it wouldn’t work. Having him as the face of a new product video was also not going to work.

Every single one of us is adept at reading body language. We can all tell at some level whether people are faking it.

The POwer of leadership

True influence doesn’t come from titles, charisma, or authority. It comes from the courage to be authentic. You take off the mask and you lead from who you really are - not just who you think people want you to be as a leader. You speak the truth and you believe it.

When you lead from that place, people don’t just hear you - they feel you. And that’s when they choose to follow.

So the next time you wonder where your real power comes from, remember: it’s not about projecting confidence. It’s about aligning with who you truly are - and allowing that truth to ripple outward.