Why Influence, Not Position, Is the True Mark of a Modern Leader
Titles can be earned quickly and hierarchies flatten by the day, one truth stands out more than ever: leadership is no longer about your position. It is about your influence.
Ilia Jakel, a leadership strategist and expert in emotional intelligence, has spent over two decades helping organizations and professionals redefine what leadership looks like in the modern workplace. Her perspective is grounded in experience across healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and corporate management, where she saw firsthand how positional power often fails to inspire lasting change.
“Having a title doesn’t make people follow you,” Jakel says. “They follow because they trust you, because you inspire them, and because your influence has earned their respect.”
Jakel now teaches leaders how to build that kind of influence, not through authority, but through authenticity, emotional intelligence, and action.
Positional Power Is Limited. Real Influence Isn’t.
Too often, organizations promote individuals based on tenure or technical skills rather than leadership ability. The result is managers who hold authority on paper but struggle to earn trust or engagement from their teams.
Jakel calls this “title trap leadership” — the illusion that power lies in job descriptions rather than relationships. “If your influence only exists inside an org chart, then it disappears the moment your title changes,” she explains. “But if it is built on integrity and connection, it goes with you wherever you go.”
In her workshops and executive coaching sessions, Jakel helps rising leaders develop what she calls earned influence. This involves leading by example, managing emotions effectively, listening with intention, and speaking with clarity. These are not soft skills. They are the foundational tools of modern leadership.
Jakel reminds her clients that people remember how you made them feel more than what your role was. Leaders who show up with empathy, who model accountability, and who create space for others to shine, build influence that far outlasts any title.
Influence Comes From Emotional Intelligence, Not Ego
One of the key distinctions Jakel draws in her training is the difference between commanding a room and connecting with it. Many professionals still believe leadership means being the loudest or most dominant person at the table. Jakel disagrees.
“True leadership today is about emotional presence,” she says. “It is about understanding your impact and using it wisely.”
Jakel’s emotional intelligence training focuses on helping leaders recognize how they show up, how they regulate stress and pressure, and how they adapt their communication based on the needs of others. These are the very qualities that influence people in meaningful, lasting ways.
She teaches leaders to ask themselves:
- Am I leading through fear or through trust?
- Do people feel empowered after interacting with me, or diminished?
- Am I modeling the behavior I expect from others?
These reflective practices help her clients not only increase their effectiveness but expand their influence beyond their direct reports. They become go-to voices in their companies. They become respected change-makers. And in many cases, they become leaders without needing to ask for a promotion.
The Leaders Who Influence Without Titles
Jakel often shares stories of employees who changed culture from the middle of an organization. These were not department heads or C-suite executives. They were team leads, project managers, or even junior staffers who had developed the emotional intelligence and presence to inspire those around them.
In one case, a mid-level manager created space for open dialogue during a company merger, facilitating calm and clarity when leadership was silent. That single action earned her trust across departments and led to her being invited to strategic planning meetings usually reserved for directors.
“These are the people who embody what leadership really means,” Jakel says. “They don’t wait for permission to make an impact. They lead by example. And that creates momentum others can’t ignore.”
Jakel emphasizes that in today’s evolving workplace, where influence can spread through a single Slack thread or Zoom meeting, leaders have more opportunities than ever to shape culture without relying on authority.
Her work is helping redefine success for the next generation of professionals — not as climbing a ladder, but as building a legacy of impact, trust, and influence.
Conclusion: Lead Where You Are, Not Just Where You Want to Be
Ilia Jakel’s message is clear. Leadership is not a job title. It is a choice. And in today’s world, the people who lead from where they are — with emotional intelligence, courage, and consistency — are the ones who shape the future of work.
Influence is no longer a perk of position. It is the proof of leadership.
Jakel’s work empowers professionals at every level to recognize their ability to lead right now. Whether they are managing teams or managing up, presenting to executives or mentoring peers, their influence is already shaping outcomes.
In the end, the question is not what your title says. It is how your presence makes others feel, think, and grow.
Because the true mark of a modern leader is not what you’re called. It is what you cause.
This article is published on Phenomena
