Don’t Hide from Critics; Learn from Them

Critics are like mosquitoes. They are everywhere and can be a terrible distraction. And many folks, including me, don’t often think about their positive purpose. We focus on their annoying characteristics. It turns out that mosquitoes are important in our ecosystem; they are an important source of food for other creatures like bats, and some even pollinate plants.

Critics also have two sides: the bad side forces brands to waste precious resources. In some ways worse than time-consuming and expensive lawsuits, critical opinions can stay in the public’s mind and wear down a brand’s confidence. And that’s unfortunate. It’s human to want everyone’s acceptance and support, but the reality is that everyone will never love your brand. Think about it in the same way as politics. A candidate can win by a landslide—in the 1936 presidential election, Franklin D. Roosevelt won 60.8 percent of the vote, still 36.5 percent did not support him and voted for Alf Landon. The truth about critics is that some are clueless and don’t, and won’t, ever understand your brand or position; some hold unreasonable ideas and opinions that just don’t matter; and some are jealous or envious—competitors, media, and others—who just don’t want you to succeed.