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January 28, 2010
Learning Small Business Success from People You Don't Like
Something I’d like to mention about learning and small business success.
Sometimes it’s a good idea to listen to people with whom we don’t always agree. Especially when it comes to “ways of being” or how to go about achieving small business success. Often we think we learn best from those like us but sometimes we learn what we didn’t know we needed to know from those we think different than us and who think different than us. Can you follow that?
I say this because the last time I did a tele-seminar with author and blogger, Tim Ferris, I received a number of comments from my readers regarding what they didn’t like about Tim or his work. The same thing happened when I hosted Michael Gerber or Keith Ferazzi, and even Seth Godin.
Now, don’t get me wrong the majority of comments I have received about all of these folks have been overwhelmingly positive. But, let’s take Tim for example. He is one well-known dude. Heck, about 100,000 people follow him on Twitter. And you don’t get to be a NY Times and Wall Street Journal #1 bestselling author without people being drawn to what you have to say. But, and this is a big but… no one will be universally liked. Ghandi wasn’t. Nor is Nelson Mandela. They were both jailed by their opposition, for goodness sake (Of course, my friend, Tim, is no Mandela or Ghandi (sorry Tim). But you get the point.)
If you have something to say, say it. You may ruffle some feathers. And, feathers will be ruffled at high altitudes. You want to fly high, don’t you?
So, tell me, who have you learned from—that you didn’t think you “liked”? (You don’t have to mention names. Just say, Mr. or Ms. X.)
