It feels weird that I've always been A) very opinionated and unafraid to share it and B) never felt like I had a right to have those opinions. The further up the seniority chain the more I feel myself leaning into B and I'm not sure I like it.
I DO think that leadership has an obligation to dial back the ferocity of their opinions in balance with how much power they wield. Off the cuff without power is just an opinion. With power it becomes a directive that can't be questioned.
I suppose some of the stress that I have is that my conclusions are often contrary to the status quo, and thus unpopular with people who fully embraced the status quo.
(When I voice them here, it can sound like everyone agrees, but I'm keenly aware of my twitter bubble.)
At the same time, I worry that I lean too hard into this, and am thus less effective than I should be. If your experience has any value at all, then sharing the conclusions drawn from it seems necessary.