Raising your hand to be team captain means signing up to be criticized. Leaders accept that.

LEADERSHIP

WHAT THIS MEANS

The armband comes with a cost nobody mentions at the vote. Once you make the calls, every loss has your name near it, and people who would never volunteer will have opinions about it. That is not unfairness, it is the shape of the job. Accepting criticism in advance is what lets you keep deciding instead of hedging.

Decide now how you will take it: listen, keep the part that is true, and put the rest down the same day. Ask one person you trust to tell you honestly when you are getting something wrong. Do not look for approval from people who were never going to give it.

A QUESTION TO SIT WITH

Could you lead something knowing the complaints would land on you?

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