Éminence grise

So imagine you’re playing a game of pretend and you’re the boss of your play group. But sometimes, even though you’re the boss, there’s someone else who’s really good at telling you what to do and helping you make good decisions. That person is like your “eminence grise” – they’re like a secret advisor who helps you be the best boss you can be, but they don’t need to be the boss themselves.

In real life, an “eminence grise” is like a super helpful behind-the-scenes person who helps an important leader or decision maker. They might not be the one in charge, but they have a lot of influence and can help make important things happen. Sometimes they’re not even very well known to the public, but people in important places really respect them and listen to what they have to say.