For decades, influence in business has been measured by positional power. A C-suite title or a board seat were the markers of authority. But in 2025, the calculus is shifting. Influence is no longer defined solely by hierarchy. It’s about reach, resonance, and the ability to mobilize ideas at scale.
Today, platform power — the audience you cultivate, the networks you build, the ideas you champion — is increasingly eclipsing traditional positional power. A title signals authority within an organization. But outside the walls of that company, titles carry far less weight than they once did. A CEO with no digital presence may go unnoticed in larger cultural conversations, while a founder with 50,000 engaged followers can shape public discourse overnight.
Research backs this up. Edelman’s Trust Barometer shows that people trust “a person like me” nearly as much as CEOs and subject-matter experts. Audiences gravitate toward leaders who are visible, accessible, and consistent — qualities best demonstrated through platform power.
Credibility is Crowdsourced
In an era of AI-generated content and corporate opacity, audiences crave authentic thought leadership. A leader who shares insights, mistakes, and lived experiences online builds credibility faster than one whose voice is confined to press releases.
Networks Create Leverage
The old adage — “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know” — has evolved. Today it’s who knows you. Executives who nurture broad digital and professional networks can amplify initiatives, accelerate fundraising, or recruit top talent with a single post.
Ideas Move Markets
When BlackRock’s Larry Fink publishes his annual letter, markets react. But we’re seeing a democratization of that effect. A viral perspective on leadership, workplace culture, or sustainability can influence policies and partnerships — even without a Fortune 500 title.
The shift from positional to platform power doesn’t make titles irrelevant. Titles still open doors, confer resources, and command authority. But they are no longer the only path to influence. In fact, they may not even be the most enduring. Platforms transcend roles and organizations; they carry your influence across industries and through career pivots.
The leaders who will shape 2025 and beyond are those who understand both languages of influence — the authority of position, and the magnetism of platform. Those who can speak in both tongues will not only lead organizations; they will shape culture.
