There Will Always Be a Critic

He was 26 years old and in pursuit of America’s pastime’s most sacred record.

But the local media, baseball fans and even the league’s commissioner had considered the soft-spoken North Dakota native to be completely unworthy of holding the home run mark held by the legendary Babe Ruth.

So, reporters grilled Roger Maris, fans sent him death threats, and the commissioner himself even said that Maris’ feat would have an asterisk next to it in the record books.

Maris, who was beloved by teammates, began to lose his hair from stress and reportedly began smoking three packs of cigarettes per day. He rarely left his house beyond going to the ballpark.

On Tuesday night, 61 years after Maris topped Ruth’s mark, New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge hit his own American League record-breaking 62nd home run.

What was the reaction?

Some quickly claimed other players like Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa own the real home run marks. Others argued Judge is now the record holder since the other three used performance-enhancing substances. Some even passionately ripped Maris’ son for attending games leading up to Judge’s 62nd.

The point for us as leaders isn’t to argue over who actually holds the record. It’s that no matter the era, no matter the feat, no matter the industry, there will always be a critic.

There will always be someone who screams opinions despite not knowing much, someone who wants us to fail, someone who will root for our downfall and do everything possible to make our lives more difficult.

In this din of chaos, it's crucial for us to find a small circle of people whose opinions we actually value instead of just listening to the screaming masses.

What does this circle look like? We might want to have:

1. A couple of people who will support us unconditionally and be there for us no matter what we’re enduring2. A distractor whom we can turn to in order to get our mind off of our work3. A truth teller who isn’t afraid to hold us accountable when we’ve veered off course4. Someone who’s experienced similar circumstances in the past to ours

A network with this framework should provide us the guidance and support we need to better navigate the hardships at hand.

While considering others sounds nice and can be an admirable goal, becoming a more effective leader is rarely about turning up the volume on outsiders' opinions.

It’s often about finding some earplugs.