When you’re truly showing up for your work as a leader, you’ll likely find that you simply can’t win everyone over, and that some of the decisions you’ll need to make will be met with resistance, backlash, and criticism. 

In Triannual III, we talked about how to overcome resistance to change and help our teams work through objections and concerns about what’s to come. Yet, even with all of the right tools, there will still be critics on the sidelines whose feedback can leave us discouraged and struggling to maintain our motivation to lead. 

President Teddy Roosevelt had a great quote on what it’s like to be “the man in the arena” —to be the one working every day to reach the peak, climb to the summit, and dare to achieve greatness. Researcher Brené Brown paraphrases below: 

“It’s not the critic who counts; it’s not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done it better. 

The credit belongs to the person who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred with blood and sweat and dust. Who, at the best, in the end knows the triumph of high achievement and who, at worst, if he fails, he fails daring greatly.” 

On our quest to the summit and in our work to continually improve as a leader, we are going to face external critics and will also come across our own self-criticism in the form of fear, self-doubt, comparison, anxiety and uncertainty.

It takes great courage and vulnerability to step up and lead and put yourself out there, like the gladiator in the arena, and continue to give our all to achieve our mission of Making More Possible.

We may face disappointments, setbacks and temporary defeats, but, if we maintain our courage and if we reach out for support from the other leaders with us in the arena—who are also working everyday to develop their skills and continue to strive for greatness—we will find renewed strength and vigor and experience the joy of having given our all.

Though courage leaves us vulnerable, that vulnerability opens the door to love, joy, belonging, trust, empathy, creativity, and innovation—everything we need to truly make our mark with our teams, our patients, and our community.

As we work toward our biggest innovation in a century and as we continue to improve and innovate in our roles everyday, that courage, vulnerability, and creativity will be essential as we lead.

Watch the video below to hear Dr. Brené Brown explain “Why Your Critics Aren’t the Ones Who Count” and show us how courage and vulnerability open the way for innovation and creativity –