Seth Godin on Trolls
Seth Godin has a knack for capturing a complex idea in a few words. With his permission, here’s what he has to say on those banes of progress, the trolls:
Lots of things about work are hard. Dealing with trolls is one of them. Trolls are critics who gain perverse pleasure in relentlessly tearing you and your ideas down. Here’s the thing(s):
1. trolls will always be trolling
2. critics rarely create
3. they live in a tiny echo chamber, ignored by everyone except the trolled and the other trolls
4. professionals (that’s you) get paid to ignore them. It’s part of your job.“Can’t please everyone,” isn’t just an aphorism, it’s the secret of being remarkable.
That last point is critical. I’ve said many times that good strategy requires making choices and meaning it. That includes deciding who you want to please and who not. As my Vista pal Mark Di Somma says, “make enemies.” Sure, you want to listen to others - that’s one way to improve - but it’s very easy to get distracted by naysayers, white ants, and stick-in-the-muds who offer little constructive criticism. If you believe in yourself and what you’re doing, stop being so polite, stop listening to the trolls, stop giving them credence. Do it your way.
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