The Leadership Cost of Ignoring Your Inner Critic
If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you already know I’m a Dave Ramsey fan. Recently, I heard Dave share two principles on risk-taking that stopped me in my tracks.
Principle #1 — No James Bond Deals
In every James Bond movie, there’s a moment when Bond sits at the poker (or baccarat) table with the villain. One hand. Winner takes all. The fate of the world hangs in the balance.
Dave’s rule? He avoids those situations in business. He never puts everything on the line for one deal, no matter how lucrative it looks.
Principle #2 — Shoot Musket Balls Before Cannonballs
This one comes from Jim Collins, author of Good to Great. In naval warfare, ships tested their aim with musket fire before unleashing a cannonball. Why? Musket balls were cheap. Cannonballs were costly. The lesson: test small before you go big.
Both principles make sense. They help us avoid dumb—and potentially catastrophic—mistakes.
And my inner voice agrees. It’s very persuasive when it comes to keeping me safe.
Inner Voice = Inner Critic
But here’s the problem: my inner voice is also my inner critic.
What if it talks me into never pushing a single chip to the middle of the table? Because I’d probably pick the wrong hand to bet on and lose it anyway. What if it never gives me permission to fire even one cannonball? Because I’ll probably miss the target and reduce my arsenal for no good reason. Sure, I’d avoid losses. But I’d also miss out on wins. I’d be like the servant in the Bible who buried his one talent in the ground out of fear. If you know the story, you know how poorly that ended.
The truth is, there’s a fine line when it comes to listening to your inner critic. Pay too much attention, and you stay small. Ignore it completely, and you invite disaster.
So, how do we find the balance?
What Your Inner Critic Is
Your inner critic sees itself as your ally. Its job is to protect you. It wants to keep you from failing, from looking foolish, from feeling pain.
That’s good… to a point. Dave Ramsey would nod his head.
But here’s the rub: pain and growth are linked. They call it growing pains for a reason. Avoid all risk, and you also avoid growth.
What Your Inner Critic Is Not
Your inner critic is not a trustworthy autopilot. You can’t just hand it the wheel and check out. If you do, it’ll run your life from the shadows.
Leaders, especially, can’t afford that. The higher your role, the higher the stakes.
When your inner critic takes over, it doesn’t whisper encouragement. It reminds you of every failure. It minimizes your wins. It fills you with doubt. And before long, it spills over into how you lead—creating hesitation, eroding confidence, and limiting your influence.
What To Do About It
The only way to handle your inner critic is to face it directly. Leadership coach John Millen offers five practical ways to control negative self-talk.
Name the voice. Give it a name to create distance.
Ask: Would I say this to someone else? If not, don’t say it to yourself.
Reframe the message. Mistakes don’t mean you’re stupid. They just mean you’re human.
Keep a thought journal. Write down the messages. Then challenge them, like Matlock on cross-examination.
Practice self-compassion. Treat yourself the way you’d treat a friend. Once, when I was being hard on myself, someone told me, “Be nice to my good friend Michael.” Wise words.
Final Thought
If you wrestle with a harsh inner critic, you’re not alone. Most leaders do. The first step is admitting it—first to yourself, then maybe to a trusted colleague.
Yes, it takes vulnerability. But vulnerability builds trust. And trust is the currency of leadership.
