Promoting an agenda when you don't (yet) feel you are in a position to act on it.
When might this come up?
Your agenda depends on others taking action, but the opportunity you do see isn't exactly the only, or more pressing one on their plate.
Leadership is fluid in your work environment, given an taken as the situation requires: Teams and individuals are actively invited to be proactive, autonomous, empowered. At the same time, formal power structures and visible authority figures do exist.
You are being invited to do something new-to-you. For example, to take ownership of a topic. Or mentor someone.
Pitfalls that might paralyse our progress
Having authority means having a degree of influence. Not being omnipotent. Not being a primary engine of a community (unless we're enforcing a cult). However, the experience or wish for authority doesn't always follow this idea.
Identifying WHY we feel hesitant can make it easier to acknowledge those feelings:
Decision anxiety
Not knowing whether a decision has been made
Not knowing when (or by whom) a decision will be made
Feeling hurried or uncertain about a decision I / we need to make
Wondering what the risks (social or otherwise) would be for getting it wrong
Disagreeing with a decision somebody else has made
Being harmed by decisions made by others
Ego tripping
Expecting others to simply follow along with your perfect reasoning (what else could it be, after all…)
Thinking only 'supreme victory' will do (being afraid of failing even in the smallest ways)
Pushing a solution, not an outcome
Trying to speed things up by suggesting a solution (it's simple, right? Right?)
Not taking the time to identify real, underlying issues
Not taking time to find appropriate means to address these issues
Not taking the time to really listen to others
Expecting an ask or decision to change behaviors over night
Overlooking your own agency
Waiting for others to fix it (assuming they are already aware of it and agree with you)
Waiting for formal signs of authority (job titles, role descriptions, ownership, task assignment, attention, access) to get started
Not making use of one's own existing sphere of influence
Not exploring one's own strengths and ability to evolve
Not asking others to support you in getting it started
A "formal" position (be it a role, assignment, or collaboration) does make some things easier. But if we don't lead ourselves or others from our current position, we will miss out on opportunities for personal and organizational growth.
© Elisa Pyrhönen 2026