You Can’t Win Alone And That’s the Point

If you know me, you know I love a good escape room. The kind where the clock is ticking, the puzzles are layered, and the only way out is through shared insight and collective problem-solving.

I’m highly competitive. I love to win.  But when I’m in that room, I’m not trying to win alone. I’m asking for ideas, pulling people in, celebrating the weirdest clues that don’t make sense yet, and keeping the energy high so we don’t become a chaotic team. Because I know: if someone in the room checks out or gets shut down, we lose.

That’s not just an escape room strategy. That’s how influence works.

Influence isn’t about having the right answer. It’s about bringing others with you, so the answer becomes ours.

And this is where so many culture efforts fall apart. Leaders are pushing change, but no one else is following. They assume their role gives them influence, but they haven’t built the relationships to support it.

We dug into this exact tension in our Real Talk episode: Leading Without Leverage. If you’ve ever had to drive change without formal authority, this one’s for you. Listen HERE.

Here’s what we’ve learned through coaching leaders at Catalyst:

• Influence shows up in how you react under pressure.
• It falters when urgency replaces clarity.
• It thrives when leaders slow down to connect.

We’ve coached leaders who thought they had influence—until they hit a wall. They were leading cross-functional projects but couldn’t get buy-in. They were launching new initiatives but getting side-eyed in meetings. They were trying to model culture—but no one was watching.

That’s what coaching reveals. It helps you map where your influence is strong, and where it’s quietly eroding.

• 70% of culture change efforts fail because of poor leadership alignment, not poor strategy. (McKinsey)
• And leaders who build trust and collaborative influence are 3x more likely to see lasting behavior change. (HBR)

Influence is personal. It’s contextual. It takes practice.

But it also takes a team.

If you’re trying to drive culture change, pause and look around. Who’s in the room with you? Who hasn’t been seen, invited, or heard? Who already sees the next clue, but no one has asked for their perspective?

Culture isn’t built by individual wins. It’s built by the systems and behaviors we normalize together.

And when the pressure’s on? That’s when your influence matters most.

Want to strengthen your influence where it matters most?
Grab the Readiness Compass or apply for our Spring Bootcamp or Strategic Leader cohorts that start March 16th.  Learn more HERE.