Leadership is all about managing egos. The egos of the fellow board members or staff. But sometimes the hardest ego to manage is your own. We take criticism to heart and we may constantly suffer from a low-grade “imposter syndrome”. Who am I to be in this position? Those kinds of thoughts can sap your energy and enthusiasm or cloud your ability to make decisions independently.
What other people think of you is none of your business.
Even the ancient Romans understood this problem. That’s why they came up with the famous saying, “Illegitimi non carborundum”, or “don’t let the bastards bring you down”. Or as the famous drag queen RuPaul said, “What other people think of you is none of your business.”
This doesn’t mean to act like an overbearing tyrant that doesn’t listen to anybody else. It means to literally not let other people’s opinions about you undermine your confidence or ability as a leader. You can certainly doubt the decisions you might make, but making tough decisions is what every leader has to do. That’s why you’re the leader. To decide whether to turn left or right or speed up or slow down.
You can certainly doubt the decisions you might make, but making tough decisions is what every leader has to do. That’s why you’re the leader.
Everyone will have their advice on which way to turn. That’s their job as members of the organization. But don’t let people’s advice in terms of which way to turn or whether to speed up or slow down make you doubt your ability to drive the car. You are in the driver’s seat. Backseat driving is something that comes along for the ride. Ultimately, just keep your eyes on the road ahead and your hands on the wheel.