Whether you like John Mayer or not, he’s got some good lyrics.

Walking like a one man army
Fighting with the shadows in your head
Living out the same old moment
Knowing you’d be better off instead
If you could only
Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say
Say what you need to say

Those words are from his song, Say.

With nearly every founder and leader I’ve worked with, the challenge of saying what they need to say (usually by way of critical feedback) comes up in our conversations.

Giving critical feedback or speaking honestly about what isn’t working arouses a lot of fear and as a result, resistance in folks.

“What if I come off like an asshole?”

“What if they fervently disagree?”

“What if it makes what isn’t working worse?”

“What if my feedback is just plain wrong? What if I’m wrong?”

The list goes on.

But feedback is a gift.

Even if it isn’t received as such, speaking honestly about what you’ve observed opens the door to new opportunities, ways forward, and solutions to problems you didn’t even know were there.

It also invites the other person to do the same.

A lot of founders and leaders are 🎵 walking like a one man army, fighting with the shadows in their head 🎵.

“Living out the same old moment” is a result of letting something fester rather than having the (difficult) conversation(s) and wastes precious mental energy.

Founders and leaders can’t afford to waste precious mental energy.

P.S. What other songs do you like or know that have good insights/takeaways for leaders or startups? I’m all ears 👂🎶.