Leading your friends is the hardest job there is. They knew you before you knew anything.

Authority sits awkwardly on someone your friends watched grow up. They remember the version of you that got things wrong, so a new tone of voice reads as an act instead of a role. That is not them being unfair, it is just what shared history does. Pulling rank against it usually widens the gap.

Stop trying to sound like a different person this week. Be the same friend who is now also honest about what the group needs, and admit out loud that the new setup feels strange to you too. Ask one of them to tell you when you are overdoing it.