Kicked in the teeth for giving feedback, you?
I have even more respect for the warriors that provide feedback that may not be popular as I am sure you must be getting this too. Here is how it goes for me.
I get private message like:
"I respect your post on abc and would value your opinion on xyz that I want to sell"
If I have zero experience on xyz I say that.
If I have valuable insights I share them.
As of late God help me if I disagree with the persons opinion of xyz.
Suddenly I get
"Well people who have never built xyz wouldn't understand. Donald Trump sold 1 billion worth of xyz so what do you know."
Yikes!
Years ago I would of tore the person a new one.
One thing I hate about the internet is not being in the same room as someone that wants to be rude. Nothing I enjoy more than a face to face meeting after several rude emails from someone, funny how they pull in their horns but that's another story.
These days I have a thick skin and simply reply with what I think they need to learn because if we tell the truth we have all been there. I remember being that arrogant ass :-)
My hall of fame being an arrogant ass moment:
I was a young software developer tasked with finding bugs.
My particular contribution was that I sold prepacked end products derived from this software (FilemakerPro)
I disagreed with how the software was packaging the final runtime solution.
A seasoned manager was debating with me if it was truly a bug or just my preferenc.
Frustrated that I could not make HIM get it I said
"well if you had worked as an end developer you would know this is a bug"
He put his glasses down, stood up and looked at me and said
"Peter, do you not think it the height of conceit to presume to know what I have done in my career? When you wish to debate the merits of the product and not the person please come back, my door is always open."
WOW did I learn a lesson that day. He also ended up being a great long term friend and mentor.
Love to hear other experiences and best practices for handling these situations.
What I never want to do is just not bother being helpful because someone may not like my opinion.
What if they're not stars? What if they are holes poked in the top of a container so we can breath?
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- Jack Trout
Mike