This month, as we roll into March 2026, it feels like everyone’s trying to lead in flatter, faster, more AI‑shaped organizations where your real currency is influence, not job title. In this issue, we’re digging into what it actually looks like to lead across when the org chart is flat, how to have the kind of honest feedback conversations I talk about in my latest podcast episode, and what we can all learn from a seasoned MD who’s building trust and impact in an AI‑driven world.

I hope you have some great takeaways and tips and as always, i would love to hear your feedback.

-Emma

Have you noticed how often work gets done these days by people who don’t actually “own” each other on an org chart?

You’re in a project team with peers from three departments. You’re asked to “lead” a cross‑functional initiative, but no one on the call reports to you. You’re accountable for a result, but not for the people you need to get there.

For a lot of mid‑career leaders, this is where the real tension sits. You’re expected to lead, but you don’t have the formal authority that leadership used to rely on. It can feel like you’re responsible for everything and in charge of no one.

In this kind of environment, the skill that matters isn’t command and control. It’s your ability to influence.

When I say horizontal leadership, I’m talking about leading across rather than down. It shows up when:

You can’t fall back on “because I’m the boss.” Instead, you’re relying on clarity, relationships, credibility, and the way you structure conversations. The good news: these are all learnable skills. And you can start small.

Here are three behaviours you can experiment with in your next week at work. You don’t need permission to try them; you just need to be intentional.

Most of us write our to‑do lists in terms of tasks: “Finish slide deck; update timeline; draft proposal.” But in a flat or matrixed structure, who is just as important as what.

Try this:

You’ll almost always spot a missing conversation: someone you haven’t brought in early enough, someone quietly resisting, or someone who could champion your work if they understood the upside.

Influence starts there — not with a more persuasive email, but with a clearer picture of the humans involved.

In cross‑functional work, it’s easy to slip into unhelpful language: “Finance won’t approve this.” “IT is blocking us.” “Operations doesn’t get it.”

That language makes influence harder, because it subtly positions you on opposite sides.

Instead, try anchoring everyone in a shared outcome. In a meeting, that might sound like:

Once you’ve agreed on a shared outcome, you can reframe tensions as design challenges, not battles:

You haven’t gained any formal authority. But you’ve created a space where people are more likely to collaborate than defend their patch.

A lot of “influence without authority” lives or dies in meetings. If the meeting is vague, unstructured, or dominated by one voice, people leave unclear and uncommitted.

You don’t need to chair the meeting to improve it. You can still lead.

Before or at the start, you can ask:

During the discussion, you can gently steer:

Near the end, you can summarize:

You’re not being bossy; you’re being useful. Over time, people start to look to you as the person who creates clarity and momentum — that’s influence.

You’re probably already seeing who your “horizontal leaders” are — the people everyone turns to when things get complicated, regardless of their title.

You can support and develop them by:

This is where I can partner with you: designing practical workshops and group coaching sessions on “leading without authority” for high‑potential managers and project leads, so they have tools, language, and support — not just expectations.

If any of this sounds like your daily reality, you’re not alone.

Many of the leaders I work with feel a quiet frustration: they’re expected to make things happen across the organization, but don’t always feel they have the levers to do it. The shift into more horizontal leadership can feel messy, political, and exhausting.

The invitation is to see this not as “extra work,” but as a core part of your leadership identity.

You can start with one small experiment this week:

Notice what changes — in the conversation, and in how people respond to you.

And if you’d like support to build your influence in a way that still feels grounded, respectful, and aligned with your values, this is exactly the kind of work I do in coaching. We can work together on your real situations, not theory, and build a style of leadership that fits you — with or without a formal title.

ps. If you would like to discuss your individual or organizational needs, book a free strategy call here and let’s chat over coffee.

I recently had the pleasure of joining Zofia Morales on her podcast ‘Stem in Stilettos’. In this episode we discussed Courageous Conversations: Unlocking the Power of Feedback.

In this powerful episode, you’ll discover:
✨ Practical strategies to prepare for high-stakes discussions
✨ How emotional awareness strengthens trust and open dialogue
✨ Techniques to turn feedback into growth opportunities
✨ Real-life examples you can apply immediately

If you’re ready to stop avoiding hard conversations and start leading them with confidence and clarity — this episode is for you.

Watch and listen to the episode on YouTube here - Courageous Conversations: Unlocking the Power of Feedback

This month I am excited to spotlight Alistair Varley. I have had the privilege of knowing Alistair for several years but only recently started working with him in a professional capacity. Through our interactions I have been hugely impressed with Alistair’s authentic and empathetic leadership style - i believe I even commented at one point ‘I would work for you!’ once in a discussion we had. I hope you enjoy hearing Alistair’s insights below - lots of takeaways!

Looking back, how would you describe your path into leadership and the key turning points?

I never chased leadership titles. I was always more interested in solving problems. I started out very technical — engineering, chemicals, heavy industry — and that taught me discipline. GE was big for me. It showed me scale, structure, global mamangement and how real performance systems work.

The real shift came when I got into turnaround environments. That’s when you realize you can’t just plan your way to success. You can have the right lean plan, the right ERP system, the right capital projects, but if people don’t believe in it, nothing gets done.

As time has moved forward, I’ve gone from being very technically focused to being much more people-focused. Now I see leadership mostly as energy management and alignment.

What’s one mindset you had to unlearn?

I had to stop trying to be the smartest person. Early on, competence was key. If I could solve the problem faster than anyone else, that felt like leadership. But at some point I realized that if I’m always the one solving it, I’m actually limiting the organization.

Now I catch myself. Instead of thinking, “How do I fix this?” I ask, “How do I help someone else own and solve this?” Still a work in progress but I have come miles forward on this from the beginning of my leadership journey.

What’s the worst advice you’ve received?

Probably advice that was more about optics than substance. Things like, “Don’t bring up compensation too early — it doesn’t look good.” I don’t buy that anymore. Mature adults can have mature conversations. You can be fully committed and still talk openly about value and expectations. Any advice that encourages avoiding hard conversations usually turns out to be bad advice.

How has your definition of success changed?

Early on in my career very simple — hit the numbers. Then it became about fixing broken systems. Now it is about leaving something better than I found it. If the team is stronger, if the culture is healthier, if the systems can scale without me — that’s success.

The numbers still matter big time, however building critical capabilities that are sustainable matters more to me.

One small daily behaviour that builds trust?

Consistency. I try to show up the same way every day — calm, direct, curious and positive. And I follow through. If I say I’ll look into something or fix something, I do it. Especially in manufacturing — credibility is built in doing what you say you’re going to do. Also, I try to listen a bit longer than is normally comfortable before I jump in.

Advice for emerging leaders in an AI-driven world?

Use AI. Don’t hide behind it. It can make you faster, but it won’t make you wiser. Stay close to the real people in your organization they keep you grounded. Stay especially close to customers. Stay close to the shop floor.

Technology can scale intelligence. It can’t replace judgment or character or experience.

-Thank you Alistair, for sharing your insights and experiences with us!

Alistair is the MD of Hydel Inc, based in Vaughan, Ontario. You can connect with him through LinkedIn - his profile URL is here.

If you are looking for some support in your own leadership journey, booking a free strategy call with me today and let’s create a plan that excites you!

It makes sense that you trust your colleagues and friends to provide great professional contacts. So, if someone in your network could use coaching and/or team training support, please introduce us!

My LinkedIn profile for sharing is here.

I’m very grateful for everyone who connects me with their colleagues and friends. Thank you!

Emma