run the show
Be in charge
To run the show is to be in charge, to direct how things proceed.
The phrase comes from entertainment—someone literally managing a theatrical production or broadcast—but now applies to anyone exercising control: She runs the show around here.
It often implies decisive authority, sometimes with a hint that others merely follow along.
One who leads
- bossWorkplace superior
- chiefTop-ranking leader
- captainOne who commands
- commanderPerson with authority over others
overseer · supervisor · mastermind · helmsman · skipper · foreman · superintendent · principal
Ceremony host
- hostOne receiving guests
- ringmasterCircus performance director
- showrunnerTV series creative head
- producerOne who makes things
impresario · stage · spotlight · performance · audience · spectacle · theater · circus
Organized cooperative movement
- oversightSupervision or inadvertent omission
- supervisionOverseeing people or processes
- organizationStructured group with purpose
- logisticsCoordination of complex activities
execution · operation · orchestration · administration · scheduling · planning · handling · direction
director
One who leads
commander · overseer · supervisor · mastermind · helmsman · skipper · foreman · superintendent · principal · kingpin
emcee
Ceremony host
- hostOne receiving guests
- ringmasterCircus performance director
- showrunnerTV series creative head
producer · impresario · stage · spotlight · performance · audience · spectacle · theater · circus · variety
coordination
Organized cooperative movement
- oversightSupervision or inadvertent omission
- supervisionOverseeing people or processes
- organizationStructured group with purpose
logistics · execution · operation · orchestration · administration · scheduling · planning · handling · direction · delegation
- Leadership idiomslead by example, take the reins, at the helm, call the shots, take charge
- idiomstime flies, hit the sack, seize the day, ring a bell, break a leg
- powerauthority, electric power, nuclear power, solar power, wind power
run the showtake orders
Follow someone's commands
follow orders · follow the leader · play second fiddle · toe the line · fall in line
run the showtake a back seat
Become less prominent
follow along · go along for the ride · go with the flow · follow the crowd · stand by
run, show, runner, running, showing, runs, shows, outrun, showed