I pulled back after a massive career setback.
I was deeply lost. I disappeared.
Silence felt safe.
Off-grid. Untouchable.
I stopped content creation. I almost quit leadership.
People filled the silence with speculations and stories.
My failures. My motives. My intentions.
All rewritten by others because I left the space open.
That's when I remembered:
Leadership demands radical transparency.
The more open you are, the less people invent narratives about you.
Yes. Being open is hard.
It means showing scars.
It means being seen as imperfect.
It means taking hits you can't control.
Keep in mind:
Leaders who hide are misinterpreted.
Leaders who open up are targets, but at least they're trusted targets.