71% Said “True.” Why That One Answer Explains So Much About Leadership
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I recently shared a simple poll:
True or False: One of the hardest things about being a leader is learning to trust yourself enough so you can trust others.
71% of you voted: True.
That result didn’t surprise me - but it mattered.
Because behind that answer isn’t uncertainty or weakness.
It’s experience.
It’s the weight of decisions.
The responsibility of outcomes.
The quiet pressure of knowing that when something goes sideways…it ultimately lands on you.
And that’s why this poll wasn’t really about trusting others.
It was about self-trust.
The Hidden Work of Leadership
Most leaders don’t struggle because they don’t know what to do.
They struggle because they don’t fully trust themselves to:
Handle mistakes
Course-correct quickly
Have the hard conversation
Absorb the consequences
So they stay involved a little too long.
They double-check.
They step back in “just to be safe.”
Not because they don’t believe in their people, but because the internal safety net feels thin.
That’s not a delegation problem.
That’s a self-trust problem.
A Question to Carry This Week
If this poll resonated with you, sit with this:
Where might I be invited to trust myself more - not manage others better?
Because the way you answer that question sets the tone for everything downstream.
Next week, we’ll explore how that internal trust (or lack of it) quietly shapes your culture - whether you intend it to or not.
marty imes
Founding Partner
