Information may be power, but he who holds the money has control

I once found myself promoted to a fairly senior position at an organisation where I was still fairly new - compared to many of my subordinates. What amazes me very quickly at the time was the information I had privy to allowed me to make sensible decisions while my subordinates were clueless. It really brings home the point that "information is power." As I was fairly new at the time, I was not given access to the budget of the unit yet. I didn't know how much budget we had left and has no signature authority. That really made me feel powerless each time I need access to the budget. I virtually cannot do anything even when I was able to make meaningful decision for the organisation. I can't approve anything that requires money and things just cannot progress until my manager agrees and approves these requests that require money from the budget he controls. So ultimately, even if access to information empowers you, access to money is what gives you control.