Whose opinion matters?
Even if you don’t put yourself too far out into the public arena, you’re going to get criticised for something by somebody.
I had to learn early on […] to take criticism seriously but not personally.
There are things that you can learn from your critics that sometimes your friends won’t tell you.
It’s worth deciding ahead of time whose opinion matters, so you can pay attention to what they have to say.
As someone who has lived a closely scrutinised life for decades, Secretary Clinton has been on the receiving end of a lot of opinions.
Which opinions matter can change with the circumstances.
When Clinton ran for Congress, what really mattered were the opinions of the voters who could conceivably vote Democrat. There was little point in trying to appease folks who never stray from voting Republican. But once she was elected, she represented the interests of the whole electorate so she needed to take into account the opinions of everyone who lived in New York State.
Being aware of opinions can be a valuable way of ‘taking the temperature’ on whether your approach is working or not. It’s worth knowing whether your electorate, market or audience thinks you’re doing a good job.
But for actionable feedback and advice, you need to be far more specific about whose voice you want to hear and whose you will disregard. A thousand people will tell you a thousand different things, so better to keep your inner circle tight and specific. Don’t only seek feedback from people you think will agree with you, but do look towards people who understand your goal and ideally have their own experience operating in your arena.