How to Lead When You're Still Figuring It Out
🗓️ LES ALFRED POSTED TO THE GROUP CHAT APR 16, 2026
CAREER & PERSONAL BRANDING | Leadership & Identity
If you’re an ambitious woman, chances are you’ve seen content of founders and operators “building in public” in your algorithm. While I understand the intent behind the “build in public” narrative and have done a bit of it myself, I’m here to tell you not to do it.
Let me explain.
As I previously wrote for the Group Chat, building a strong personal brand isn’t optional in 2026. However, there’s a difference between building a strong personal brand, and airing your dirty laundry all over the internet.
Yes, as people we love to see authentic humans who are sharing authentic human things (even if they’re well on their way to becoming wildly successful). But turning every single challenge or setback you experience into content the second it happens is hindering your growth as a leader.
Why Every Challenge Shouldn’t Be Public
As a creator, founder, or builder, I don’t think you should share all of your challenges while you’re in the thick of them. Speaking from experience, it can create a ton of distraction and make it even harder to listen to your intuition and execute your vision.
Earlier this year when I was at a crossroads with my business, I recorded a stream-of-consciousness video sharing what I was experiencing. I wasn’t asking for input or advice, I was merely getting thoughts out of my head and thought others might find it interesting.
What I got instead was a slew of unsolicited advice–some constructive, some critical, but almost all largely unhelpful because none of it was relevant to the vision I have for myself and my business.
And that vision isn’t anyone else’s responsibility. As a leader, it’s my own. My vision is why I’m leading. Ultimately, the onslaught of feedback was a distraction, because it tempted me to pursue various different things that weren’t aligned with my ultimate vision. When you make things public, it’s fair game for others to comment on and most people truly can’t help but offer unsolicited input based on their personal perspective.
Making every challenge you face in your entrepreneurial journey public invites too many cooks into the kitchen, and can lead you further away from your precious vision.
Having Discernment Over What to Share and Where to Get Advice
That doesn’t mean I won’t ever source input from others, or that you shouldn’t either. But that experience taught me the importance of being more discerning over who I ask for input from. As I was navigating the crossroads I was in, some of the most helpful feedback I received came from peers who could understand exactly what I was going through and what I want to work towards.
Their insights were clear and those conversations were much safer spaces to share about my challenges building. I realized spaces like masterminds, communities with growth-minded people, and conversations with mentors and peers are far more effective places to share about the problems and difficulties you’re facing while building.
While you don’t need to perform perfection for your broader community, if you open your phone to hop online and air out every detail of every challenge you have, your audience may start to question your leadership (which isn’t fair but is a reality).
If you want to effectively lead while you’re figuring it out, a learning mindset is required.
The Case for Learning in Public
Publicly, you don’t need to be a perfect person or leader (let’s be real, nobody is perfect). At some point, you’re going to mess up and have hiccups and setbacks. A more constructive way to handle this is by “learning in public” instead of building.
Recently on She’s So Lucky, I sat down with Emma Grede who stressed the importance of continuous learning, which was inspiring to hear from someone operating at her level. In our interview, she said:“ I think this idea of constantly being in learning mode is a really important one. That can be as simple as picking up a new book or taking a half day and doing an AI deep-dive into a subject. But I'm constantly reinvesting in my own learning and I never ever take that for granted.”
Learning is a good thing, and a willingness to learn makes you a better leader. While your audience doesn’t need to see every stumble, you can absolutely bring them along while you’re learning.
Share your takeaways and how they’re helping you make different decisions. Shoutout your favorite resources that have changed your perspective and how they’ve helped you grow.
Let them see that you’re taking strides towards actively figuring it out, not being tangled in the mess.
