Have you noticed that as you lead more boldly, you also get more unsolicited feedback? They’re correlated.
Here’s a step-by-step of what’s going on…
Leading boldly means you start playing a much bigger game.
Playing a bigger game makes you visible to others.
Visibility has its benefits. And it also has its side effects.
One of them is a rapid increase in unsolicited feedback.
The more your boldness challenges the beliefs and habits of others, the hotter their feedback will be.
Can you take the heat?
Of course you can. Especially if you understand why it’s happening.
Hey! Is it getting hot in here?! Or is it just me?
Every person (including you and me) has an Opinion Generating Machine (OGM) in our mind. Whatever catches your attention is fed into your OGM.
The OGM’s job is to keep spitting out opinions. The OGM uses filters like:
- Does it threaten me?
- Do I like it?
- How does he/she/it compare to me?
- Does it fit into my world view?
- Can I use it?
More visibility for you = more OGM output about you.
Who is that soaring through the sky? That’s right! It’s YOU.
Your soaring success just made you much more visible to other people and their OGM.
But you must remember: The opinions generated about you say more about the filters of their OGM than about you—even though they’re certain it’s about you.
Buckle up. The unsolicited opinions are headed your way at a whole new rate. But now you know, it’s not personal. Though the opinions might be useful.
The jump in volume is evidence of your success. And when you remember what’s really happening, this temperature will feel normal and breezy.
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