“You Don’t Flip Critics. You Invite Them In.“

The Ruckus Maker Flywheel Chapter 14

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From Critic to Cheerleader

Some of the best collaborators start as your biggest critics.

Most leaders avoid tension. Or bulldoze through it.

Ruckus Makers do something different: they get curious.

Today, Jordan does the uncomfortable thing —

She knocks on the door that made her squirm last week.

And what unfolds may surprise you.

📖 Never miss a chapter of Jordan’s story. You can read each chapter in the First in Line section of Ruckus Makers.

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Co-creation

Jordan stood outside Ms. Holloway’s room for a full eight seconds before she knocked.

You’re not here to fix. You’re here to listen.

She knocked once.

The door opened.

Holloway looked up from her desk. Eyebrows raised — not unfriendly, but guarded.

She’d been here before. Heard apologies before.

“Got a sec?” Jordan asked.

“Sure.” Holloway motioned to a student chair near the side table.

Jordan sat.

She didn’t start with a defense.

Didn’t fill the silence.

“You were right,” she said.

Holloway didn’t blink. But her hands paused, folded now.

“I brought research and strategy into a space that needed presence. I’m sorry I missed that.”

There was a long silence. Not awkward. Just honest.

“You didn’t miss it,” Holloway said. “You dismissed it. That’s why it stung.”

Jordan felt that in her chest.

“I did,” she said. “And I see it now.”

Another pause.