Can't Be Here for the Haters
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We Can’t Be Here for the Haters
The odd truth is that some people will never be satisfied, no matter what. Whether you're leading a company, managing a team, or just navigating life as a human being, there will always be people that will never cheer.
The crucial point that I want to address about this is simply: we cannot let the haters have the loudest voices in our heads.
We all know those people — the ones who find fault with everything, no matter how good, positive, or well-intentioned it is. In many companies if you just randomly handed out $20 bills to every person; there will always be someone who says, "Is that it?" Some people seem to be just incapable of reacting positively to anything.
The cost of letting critics steer the ship.
When you're leading a team, running a company, or even just making decisions in your personal life, it's easy to fall into the trap of letting the negative voices in your head be the ones we hear the loudest.
A huge problem there is that if those voices, who are always unhappy, are taking center stage in your mind then you'll find yourself hesitating, pulling back, and typically doing only what's safe and mediocre in order to avoid their criticism.
But the cutting reality about that is: they're going to complain anyway.
If we base our decisions on what the naysayers will think, we end up holding back from doing the really exciting, innovative, or positive things we want to do. In companies that can also mean leaders making safer, less innovative choices to avoid criticism, ultimately stifling creativity and growth.
This isn't just about business or leadership; it applies to your personal life too. If this dynamic is in play then you’ll hold back from being truly yourself or doing what you truly want to do, and stick to mediocre. And no surprise — the haters will criticize that too.
Just do the awesome thing.
We all have people in our company or lives who will never approve, no matter what we do. They’ll never say, "Great job, I’m excited about this,” or “I’m proud of you."
So instead? Just do the awesome thing. Do the thing that excites you, that you're fired up and passionate about, and do it for the people who will accept it, appreciate it, and be supportive.
In your company, create policies and initiatives that reflect the culture you want to build, not just what avoids criticism from the most negative people. In your personal life, turn down the volume on the critics and hand the mic over to the ones who lift you up, encourage you, and celebrate your successes.
It’s your ship, take the wheel.
To avoid being mired in mediocrity and stifled, be here and show up for people who choose to engage positively with you. Your company, team, and life will suffer if you allow decisions to be driven by the fear of criticism and naysayers.
The haters will hate no matter what, so summon the courage and make the choice to just be awesome anyway.
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This article was created by Galen Emanuele for the #culturedrop. Free leadership and team culture content in less than 5 minutes a week. Check out the rest of this month's content and subscribe to the Culture Drop at https://bit.ly/culturedrop