Surviving Other People’s Opinion

Sunday, November 7th, 2010

Have you every gone to a meeting and you’re really fired up with enthusiasm to change the outcome for the benefit of those you care for?

The only thing is that you’re suddenly uncomfortable because of an opposing opinion and you’ll find your energy suddenly seep away.

Well take a look at these tips to see how you can survive others’ opinions and still have energy to put your point of view across.

• Why Believe Someone Else’s Opinion

Think about it?
Simon Cowell has an opinion about everyone’s ability to perform and sing on the X Factor. But how many of the public believe him? How many times have you heard him say…
“Well that was the worst performance of the series”. Only to have the act return week on week.
So just like Simon, other people’s opinions are not truths. They are just a point of view. So if challenged, respond something like this…

“So you don’t like the proposal, what would it take for me to get you to ‘buy in to it’?

• The Truth – all you can be is true to – Yourself

A truth is something that you can hear, see, feel, smell and taste. It’s about using your 5 senses. There is an additional sense, that of intuition or instructively knowing.
You see what is true to you may not be for others. All you can be true to – is yourself!

• History of Truths

There is a well recorded tale that one generation of daughters went through cutting the ends of their Sunday joints before roasting them. Then the grandmother was in the kitchen and questioned her daughter and granddaughter as to why they were cutting off the end of the joint before roasting it?
The response was that “We are only following what you used to do!”

You see the Grandmother had started the belief when her own daughter sat and watched her cook when she was a child and so the tradition has cascaded through the generations.

The grandmother responded…
“I only trimmed the joint because I didn’t have a big enough roasting tin, not for any other reason!”

You see, history of truths can really influence the present, purely because we thought at the time it was the right thing to do.

• Could’ve, Should’ve and Would’ve Syndrome

Ok, people are very willing to give advice. So, make sure any advice is based on factual evidence, data or information.

Thank your adviser for their help and don’t enter into a conversation of what you are willing to accept.

At the end of the day, everyone sees the beach ball from a different perspective. Their perspective is right; it’s just different to yours.

That’s all!

Tags: criticism, management
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