TJ Walker argues leaders lose power instantly when they seem unstable or unpredictable. Trust collapses not gradually but all at once when people stop believing you understand consequences and will act consistently.
When a leader communicates in a way that makes people question their stability, everything else collapses. All policy debates become secondary. All alliances become conditional. All trust becomes fragile. Because influence, the ability to get other people to do what you want, depends on one core belief: that you're rational, that you are predictable, that you understand consequences. The moment that belief cracks, you lose leverage. Not slowly, immediately. Ultimatize.
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