One of the most important ideas we teach in Power in 30 is that leadership isn’t just about what you do, it’s about how you show up. Every day, leaders are making a choice, whether consciously or not, to show up as powerful or powerless. Often, the thing that quietly pulls leaders out of their power isn’t performance, capability, or even results. It’s criticism.
Think about how we interact with reviews. Imagine a book with hundreds of ratings. Eighty percent are five-star reviews. A handful are four stars. Maybe a few threes. And then there’s one single one-star review. As the author or seller, which review grabs your attention first?
Most people go straight to the one-star review.
Leadership Has Reviews Too
This isn’t because the product is bad. In fact, quality products almost never receive 100% five-star ratings. Even the best products in the world tend to land around that 80% mark. Leadership works the same way. No leader, no matter how skilled, thoughtful, or effective, is universally loved. Every leader has one-star reviews. Most have a few three-star reviews. Many have plenty of fours. That’s not a failure, that’s reality.
The problem isn’t the existence of critical feedback. The problem is where leaders assign their attention and emotional energy.
When Feedback Turns Into Powerlessness
We see this play out constantly in engagement surveys, performance feedback, and informal comments. A leader can receive overwhelmingly positive input and still walk away feeling deflated because a small percentage of feedback is critical. That criticism starts to carry disproportionate weight. It begins to shape how the leader sees themselves. Then, slowly, subtly, it pulls them from a powerful mindset into a powerless one.
Powerless leadership doesn’t mean weak leadership. It often shows up as hesitation, over-correction, defensiveness, or second-guessing. Leaders start trying to please everyone. They spend more time managing perception than leading with clarity. They allow the fear of criticism to influence decisions, communication, and presence.
Separating Signal From Noise
Power in 30 challenges leaders to pause and ask a critical question: Is this feedback data, or is it noise?
If the majority of your feedback is two-star or lower, that’s a signal worth addressing. That points to real issues that require reflection, adjustment, and growth. However, if the majority of your feedback is positive and a small percentage is negative, that criticism should not be allowed to define your leadership identity.
Some people are looking for things to complain about. Some feedback reflects personal preferences, unmet expectations, or frustration that has little to do with your effectiveness as a leader. That doesn’t mean it should be ignored entirely, but it does mean it shouldn’t be given outsized power over how you show up.
Choosing Power, Even Under Scrutiny
Powerful leaders don’t pretend criticism doesn’t exist. They acknowledge it, learn what’s useful, and then choose not to let it erode their confidence or clarity. They understand that leadership requires making decisions that won’t please everyone. They stay grounded in the bigger picture instead of getting pulled into the emotional gravity of a few negative voices.
Showing up powerfully doesn’t mean being immune to feedback. It means being intentional about how you interpret it and what you do with it. It means recognizing that one-star reviews are part of leadership, not proof that you’re failing at it.
At Lone Rock Leadership, we believe power is a choice leaders make every day. The question isn’t whether criticism will show up. It will. The real question is whether you’ll allow it to pull you into a powerless posture, or whether you’ll stay grounded, clear, and confident in how you lead.