In many of the environments I work in, across governments, partners, and institutions, there is a truth that is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
Good ideas do not move on merit alone. They move when the conditions around them are right.
This is not always comfortable to admit, particularly for those of us who have been trained to believe that rigour, evidence, and technical strength should be enough. And to be clear, they matter. They matter deeply. But in complex systems, they are rarely sufficient on their own.
“In these environments, ideas do not fail because they are wrong. They stall because they are not yet aligned with the realities of the people and institutions required to move them forward.”
What ultimately determines whether something moves is alignment.
Not the kind that is announced in meetings or captured in formal agreements, but the silent kind. The kind that is built before decisions are made. The kind that shapes how people understand what is being proposed, what it means for them, and whether they are willing to move with it.
Over time, I have come to see that much of the real work happens before the work becomes visible.
It shows up in conversations that reframe an issue just enough for someone to see it differently. In early check-ins, surface concerns before they harden into resistance. In moments where individuals begin to understand where they fit within a broader effort. In bridges built between people and institutions that may not naturally find each other.
None of this is particularly visible. It does not always make it into reports or presentations. But it is often what allows everything else to move.
In many ways, this is where influence really sits.
Not in the room where decisions are formally taken, but in everything that happens leading up to that moment. In how perspectives are shaped, how concerns are addressed, how trust is built, and how a shared understanding begins to form.
This is especially true in contexts where multiple stakeholders are involved, each with their own mandates, pressures, and constraints. Governments balancing competing priorities. Funders seeking accountability and impact. Delivery partners navigating operational realities. Private sector actors are weighing risk and return.
In these environments, ideas do not fail because they are wrong. They stall because they are not yet aligned with the realities of the people and institutions required to move them forward.
That alignment is not accidental. It is built.
It requires taking the time to understand what people are carrying, not just professionally but institutionally. What they are responsible for. What they are accountable to. What they are trying to protect. And what needs to be true for them to move with confidence.
It also requires a willingness to meet people where they are, rather than where we would like them to be.
This is where I have seen a shift in my own thinking.
Earlier in my career, I placed a lot of emphasis on the strength of the idea itself. The assumption was that if something was well thought through, clearly articulated, and grounded in evidence, it would move.
Now, I think much more about readiness.
Is there enough shared understanding? Is there sufficient trust? Are the right people engaged, not just informed? Do they see themselves in the outcome? Is the timing right, given everything else they are navigating?
These are not always easy questions to answer. But they are often the difference between momentum and stagnation.
There is also something to be said about pace.
In systems that are complex and interdependent, there can be a tendency to push for constant action. To keep moving, to keep producing, to keep demonstrating progress. But not every moment calls for movement.
Sometimes the most strategic decision is to pause.
To listen more carefully. To allow space for concerns to surface. To revisit how something is being framed. To ensure that what is being proposed is understood in a way that resonates across different perspectives.
A well-timed pause can create more movement than a poorly timed push.
This is not about slowing down for its own sake. It is about recognising that in many cases, speed without alignment creates fragility. And fragility, in complex systems, tends to reveal itself at the most critical moments.
What has become increasingly clear to me is that influence, in its most effective form, is less about driving outcomes directly and more about shaping the conditions that make those outcomes possible.
It is about building the relationships, the shared understanding, and the trust that allow people to move together, even when their starting points are different.
It is about recognising that alignment is not a one-time event but something that needs to be maintained. As contexts shift, as priorities evolve, as new actors enter the system, the work of alignment continues.
And perhaps most importantly, it is about understanding that some of the most meaningful progress is not always the most visible.
We tend to celebrate the moments when decisions are announced, when agreements are signed, and when initiatives are launched. Those moments matter. But they are often the result of a quieter, less visible set of efforts that made them possible.
The conversations that happened early. The concerns that were addressed before they escalated. The relationships that were built over time. The clarity that emerged gradually.
That is where the real work sits.
As we continue to navigate increasingly complex challenges in health, in climate, and in economic development, the ability to move ideas across systems will matter as much as the ideas themselves.
And that requires a different kind of leadership.
One that is attentive to people and context. One that values alignment as much as analysis. One that understands timing, trust, and framing as core capabilities, not peripheral ones.
In the end, progress is rarely just about what we do. It is about how we bring others with us.
And that, more often than not, is the work before the work.
Ota Akhigbe is Director, Partnerships & Programs, at eHealth Africa, where she leads cross-sector strategy and partnerships across public systems, global health, and institutional delivery. She operates at the intersection of government, funders, and private sector actors, shaping scalable solutions across Africa. Her work focuses on alignment, systems thinking, and translating strategy into sustained impact.