Everybody at some stage in their lives has had to have feedback about a project that they have worked damn hard to bring to life.
What do you do when the feedback is negative?
I mean you have eaten, slept and breathed this project for however long. Let’s just say long enough that you know it better than you know your spouse at this stage. What happens when, after the big reveal people hate it? How do you separate your ego and desire to have done well from a genuine critique?
I know I find it very difficult. I feel the need to justify and defend. Let’s face it, it’s not as if you set out to do the wrong thing. Sometimes a project can get derailed from the initial scope and you can get so caught up in the short-term gain of completion that you forget to defend your original vision. And sometimes you just get tired, sick of the struggle, confounded by the chaos and unable to see your creation for what you once envisioned it to be.
And yet – and yet – you feel the need to justify and defend under fire. Your confidence takes a hit – self-doubt and self-judgement far more hurtful than anything anybody else would have even thought to say.
I’m working very hard to put my ego aside, to remember that it is about the greater good, that it’s not about me.
I’m remembering to fight for what I believe in and stand firm where my plans are rooted in sound marketing principles.
Most importantly I’m remembering to be professional and not to cry in the face of exhaustion when I’m told my baby is ugly. That’s the most important!
That’s the most important! Big girl pants on, no tears, no ego – listen and learn.