Earlier this week I ordered some new wall art to freshen up my home office.
One of the posters I chose is of lion, with the text:
"Lions don't lose sleep over the opinions of sheep"
This poster caught my eye because it's one of my favourite quotes, and something I've been reminding coaches of for years since so many struggle with the fear of criticism and being attacked by others for their opinions.
That's why a lot of coaches hang around in what I call "The Mushy Middle"
That's where you tiptoe, walk on eggshells, and not say what you really think because you want to be liked by everyone.
You keep your content bland and with no chance of offending anyone.
In business, it leads to a lack of passion and boring businesses.
If you’re playing in the mushy middle and you never risk offending anybody, you probably won’t stand out from the crowd.
A few years back I stumbled across a podcast called "Avoid Being Hated".
The show is based around how to not be hated by others. Some of the show topics include:
– How To Avoid Being Hated While Flying
– Avoid Being Hated on the Internet
– Avoid Being Hated by Fast Food Workers
– Avoid Being Hated by Your Neighbour
– Avoid Being Hated at a Restaurant
– Avoid Being Hated in Traffic
While the podcaster in me likes the concept of the show, you shouldn’t be overly concerned about being liked and not hated.
Don’t be a jerk unnecessarily, but don’t waste mental energy worrying about offending others.
I don’t worry about offending people in my business, since my goal is to help people get more coaching clients and nothing else matters.
If someone gets their feathers ruffled, that’s their problem – not mine.
In my Coaching Jungle Mastermind groups everyone is encouraged to be open and honest when giving their feedback, and not be fearful of hurting feelings since it's all about seeing everyone succeed.
We currently have room in one of the groups, and you can apply to join it here:
Marc Mawhinney