When you reach higher levels of leadership, remember that everyone can now observe and judge your activities since they are now broadcast on the jumbotron. The visibility grows wider as you ascend. Sometimes you’ll make mistakes. Given the tens of thousands of choices you probably make each week, you will unavoidably let someone down or irritate them. Keep an eye on your longer-term track record of decisions, preferably accruing more favourable results than unfavourable ones. Do not allow yourself to become fixated on a particular decision or the reaction of others. If you do, you run the danger of losing confidence and making poor decisions as a result of being overly cautious and afraid of ridicule. You’re in the wrong line of work if you expect everything to be fair. The harsh reality of leadership is that you bear a disproportionate share of the responsibility when things go wrong. The scrutiny from the larger organisation is increased when you make mistakes. Keep in mind that people have less context and comprehension the further away they are from the situation. They will speculate, project their own pain, and invent reasons for why you did what you did to fill in the spaces. No matter how much it stings, try not to get distracted by all the commotion. Keep your attention on finding a solution, helping anyone who has been hurt, and learning from the experience.
