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The Authority Audit: How to Know if You’re Leading With the Wrong Story

Every founder has a story. But not every founder is telling the right one. The story you choose to lead with shapes everything: how people perceive you, what opportunities flow your way, and whether you’re seen as someone with authority, or just someone with potential.


Too many brilliant founders are stuck telling the wrong story. They lean on borrowed credibility, or they default to safe, generic language that could belong to almost anyone. It might get them polite nods, but it doesn’t build influence, and it certainly doesn’t open the doors they deserve to walk through.


If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Most founders begin here. The good news? You can audit your story and shift it, and when you do, your authority grows.


Lisa Maynard-Atem standing in front of BBC Broadcasting House in London, wearing a green dress and smiling confidently at the camera.
Here I am outside BBC Broadcasting House, following a media appearance to discuss entrepreneurship and purpose-driven business - building my own authority.

The Wrong Story Trap

Before we dive into the audit itself, let’s name the trap. The wrong story shows up in three common ways:


1. Borrowed credibility

You lead with who you’ve worked with, the awards you’ve won, or the powerful people in your circle. Useful in the short term, but ultimately someone else’s authority, not yours.


2. Validation-seeking

Your language is about proving yourself: “I was chosen for X,” “I was recognised by Y.” It sounds good, but it keeps you positioned as someone waiting for external approval rather than owning your space.


3. Generic positioning

You describe yourself in vague terms: “I’m passionate about…” or “I help people…” with no edge, no clarity, and no authority. Your story gets lost in a sea of sameness.


None of these are inherently bad. But if they dominate your narrative, you’re leading with the wrong story.


Introducing the Authority Audit

The Authority Audit is a simple way to check if your story is doing its job: positioning you as the founder of something meaningful, lasting, and powerful. Think of it as a diagnostic tool. Run through the questions, answer honestly, and see whether you’re leaning on borrowed weight or standing firmly in owned authority.


The Authority Audit: 6 Questions to Ask Yourself

1. What do people know me for?

When your name comes up, what’s the first thing people say?


  • “She used to work with X…”

  • “He’s connected to Y…”

  • Or: “They’re the founder of…”


2. Am I leading with what I’ve built, or who I’ve worked with?

Scan your LinkedIn headline, your website bio, and how you introduce yourself at events. What comes first? If your opener is a past employer, a famous client, or an impressive collaborator, you’re telling someone else’s story before your own. Flip it. Lead with your consultancy, your platform, your framework. Mention affiliations later, if at all.


3. If all my affiliations disappeared tomorrow, would my brand still stand?

This is the acid test. Imagine every brand you’ve worked with, every award you’ve won, every connection you’ve leaned on… vanished. Would people still know who you are and what you stand for? If the answer makes you uncomfortable, that’s your signal to start building authority rooted in your own IP.


4. Have I named and claimed my frameworks, methods, or IP?

Authority lives in frameworks. When you name a method, you own it. Think about it: Lean In, Radical Candor, Start With Why. These ideas belong to their authors because they were packaged, named, and claimed.


Ask yourself: What’s my methodology? My system? My language? If you haven’t defined it, you’re missing one of the fastest routes to authority.


5. Is my story consistent across LinkedIn, pitches, bios, and conversations?

Inconsistency erodes authority. If your LinkedIn says one thing, your website says another, and your intro at events is something else entirely, people struggle to place you. Consistency doesn’t mean robotic repetition. It means the same core narrative threads through every platform. Authority is built on clarity and repetition.


6. Do people associate me with outcomes, or just activity?

Activity is “she posts a lot on LinkedIn.”

Outcomes are “she helps founders attract funding.”


One makes you visible. The other makes you valuable. Audit your messaging. Are you communicating outcomes? Or just talking about what you do without showing why it matters?


Shifting Into the Right Story

Once you’ve audited yourself, the next step is to shift. If you’ve spotted gaps, here’s how to close them:


Lead with owned credibility.

Always put your consultancy, your platform, or your framework first. Let borrowed credibility sit in the background, not the spotlight.


Reframe affiliations.

Worked with a big brand? Great. Mention it as proof, not your primary identity. Use it as seasoning, not the main dish.


Name your frameworks.

If you’ve got a method, process, or philosophy, package it. Give it a name. That’s how expertise becomes IP, and IP is authority.


Sharpen consistency.

Audit your profiles. Rewrite your bios. Script your intro. Make sure your core story is the same everywhere.


Talk outcomes.

Shift from “what I do” to “what results I create.” Investors, partners, and clients want outcomes, not just activity.


A Personal Reflection

When I look back, I see how often I fell into the wrong story trap. I leaned too heavily on borrowed credibility, leading with the big brands I’d worked with, or the influential people in my network.


And while it opened doors, I realised those doors weren’t mine to walk through forever. My authority wasn’t secure until I started leading with my own platforms, frameworks, and consultancy.


The turning point came when I began to name what I’d built: my consultancy, STYLISA FoundHers. Those became my story, and suddenly, I didn’t need to lean so hard on anyone else’s.


Audit Your Authority

The story you tell is the authority you own. Borrowed credibility might make you visible today, but it has a shelf life. Owned authority compounds. It builds over time, creating platforms, opportunities, and influence that nobody can take away.


So run the audit. Ask yourself the hard questions. And if you don’t like the answers, rewrite the story you’re telling. Because the wrong story keeps you invisible. The right story makes you unforgettable.



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