To gain authority, control everything around you. Show you “care” more—ask questions, interpose yourself, and stifle things you consider chaos.
Others, tired of responsibility, will shunt it to you, elevating you to middle management. But this comes at a cost: resentment from peers and a paycheck not high enough to erase disdain.
Authority built on control breeds isolation. True leadership inspires rather than dominates. Instead of control, seek influence through collaboration, not coercion, or risk becoming the aging, stuck, middle manager everyone despises.