“Build Your Own Table: How Women Claim Their Seat of Authority”

Early in our careers, many of us are taught to wait.

Wait to be invited. Wait to be recognized. Wait until someone “opens the door to an opportunity.”

Executive leadership doesn’t work that way.

Authority is not assigned when the title arrives; it’s established long before, by the women who decide to take their Seat of Authority and lead from it.

An Executive Mindset helps you to learn this truth early: No one is coming to build the table for you.

Leaders don’t wait for access. They create it!

What You’re Really Building: “A Seat of Authority”

When women “build their own table,” they are doing more than creating opportunity. They are establishing a Seat of Authority.

A Seat of Authority in leadership is the recognized position, formal or informal, from which a leader exercises decision-making authority, influence, and executive mindset.

However, here’s the executive-level distinction most people miss: A title does not grant a Seat of Authority. It is established by ownership and an executive mindset.

The Executive Definition

A Seat of Authority is the mindset that positions your voice to carry weight, your vision to set direction, and your value to produce results.

You are “in the seat” when:

• Your voice is trusted.

• Others adjust based on your vision and direction, not your title.

• Your value moves work forward.

What Creates a Seat of Authority?

Titles may assign responsibility, but authority is earned and maintained through three action factors:

1. Vision-Decision Ownership

You don’t wait to be told what to decide. You use your vision and insights to assess, choose, and stand behind outcomes.

Authority shows up the moment you say, “This is the direction, and here’s why.”

2. Value-Contributions

Your insight improves outcomes. People seek your perspective because it sharpens their thinking and execution.

Authority grows when your value-contributions make work effective.

3. Voice-Boundary Control

You determine what input is invited, and what is not. Not every voice gets equal access to your confidence or decisions.

Executives filter feedback. They don’t absorb it by consensus or external validation.

Formal versus Informal Seats of Authority

• Formal seat: Role-based (manager, director, executive).

• Informal seat: Influence-based (trusted advisor, go-to problem solver).

The most powerful leaders hold both.

Early- and mid-career professionals who rise fastest learn to sit in authority before the title arrives.

Why This Matters—Especially for Rising Women Leaders

Many capable women are doing the work but not occupying the seat.

They:

• Defer their voice.

• Over-explain decisions.

• Invite unnecessary consensus.

That behavior unintentionally vacates authority, even when competence is high.

The Executive Mindset Shift

Leadership is not about waiting to be appointed.

It’s about claiming the seat—confidently and consistently.

When you occupy your Seat of Authority:

• You don’t perform leadership—you embody it.

• You don’t ask for permission to lead, you claim it.

• You don’t chase validation, you produce results.

Authority follows ownership. Always.

A Question for You

Ask yourself honestly:

“Where in your career are you still waiting for permission, when you could be building your own table and sitting down at it?”

If that question stirred something within, it’s your signal that you’re ready for your next leadership level.

Your Next Executive Move

If you’re ready to lead from your Seat of Authority, take this next intentional step:

Access ➡️ CoachConnieAI™ and:

Enter this reflection prompt to help you pinpoint where your Seat of Authority is already active:

“Help me identify where I am unintentionally vacating my Seat of Authority at work. Show me one clear way I can reclaim it this week through my language, decisions, and boundaries.”

“CoachConnieAI™ helps you clarify your leadership voice, strengthen your mindset, and prepares you for your next leadership level with confidence.” (Access free at: coachconnieai.com)

Claim your Seat of Authority…and lead from it.

Connie Williams is an Executive Mindset Coach who helps rising women professionals lead with an executive mindset before the title, so they can advance with confidence throughout their careers.