Recently I was a keynote speaker for a conference for park professionals in the midwest. I spoke on Role and Purpose and how parks can thrive once they understand every job has a role to perform, and every role plays into the bigger purpose of the park.
Once I was off stage, many people came up to ask questions and talk about my topic. As a speaker, the biggest compliment you can get for your presentation is someone seeking you out to ask questions. When someone finds me to ask a question, I know I have made a connection.
After my morning keynote, and later in the day, I had the opportunity to talk to several people about Role and Purpose. Even the following day, the conversations continued.
A few weeks after my presentation, the event organizer sent me some reviews they collected directly from the app they used for the event.
As I read the reviews, I was feeling good as I saw comments like:
"The concept stuck with me, and I intend to apply that to our team."
"Love the concept."
"It was a good way to get people thinking. A lot of organizations don't have a purpose that is known by the whole team."
Then one review stuck out:
"I'm sure he is a nice guy, so I blame the person who picked him thinking he was appropriate for this audience. Just not good."
Wait a minute...
For a moment, this is all I focused on.
Do you ever get hung up on negative words from someone else? It doesn't matter how many compliments we get; we focus on the few negative comments.
Don't let it stop you. You are not for everyone.
If you let a negative review keep you from getting on stage, everyone else will miss out on your message.
At this conference, where many people come to learn about park operations, safety, and new equipment, not everyone wants to hear how they can be better leaders. That is fine. The topic is not for people who are fixed on how they do things. The topic is not for everyone.
I'm not for everyone. And neither are you.
Keep writing your blog. Keep recording your podcast. Keep creating YouTube videos. Keep creating, and know you are not for everyone.