Good Leaders Make Great Decisions That People Think Are Bad

We live in a knee-jerk reaction world. It can be uncomfortable, which is when we discover who our true leaders are.

One week ago, I was in Boston for a leadership conference with IPREX, gathered with two dozen other PR and marketing professionals transitioning from managing to leading. One of the biggest takeaways from the conference was the notion that leaders are “comfortable being uncomfortable” and it’s not a trait we all have.

Our conference was upended that Friday afternoon when we received word that our hotel had been the site of the Biogen conference in February, which had roughly 20 positive coronavirus test results, and that number has climbed to 70 since. As we digested the news, we retreated to our rooms to prepare for dinner and try to figure out our next steps.

That coincided with our president taking his now infamous visit to the CDC in Atlanta. It’s hard to overstate the conflicting emotions coming from the somber leadership at our conference now affected by the virus, and this man spewing nonsense to the world. All I knew in that moment is that things were going to get much, much worse.

On my flight back home on Saturday, my thoughts turned to something far more trivial — the world of sports. If you know me or read anything I’ve written, you know I…