Weekly Mix #224 - Taking Criticism Well, Building Lasting Companies & 10X Questions

Taking Criticism Well, Building Lasting Companies & 10X Questions

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Happy Monday!

It is near impossible to avoid taking criticism personally.

There are very few criticisms someone can level at us that don't feel personal. How we do our work, how we behave, how we treat others—we see all of these things as a reflection of ourselves.

Most of the time, they are, at least to some extent.

But doing poor work can be the result of poor discipline, or it can be the result of not knowing how to make something better.

Behaving poorly can be a reflection of a tendency to poor behaviour, or it can simply be a misunderstanding of social norms.

Most of us take criticism poorly. It is a natural, almost visceral reaction. We dispute, argue, or simply dismiss it and mark the person giving it as an idiot.

But doing so is a missed opportunity.

The highest performers in the world reach their positions because of a willingness to see truths and take feedback, whether from a friend, a coworker, or from the market itself.

Taking criticism well requires only one thing: postponing judgment.

Simply listen. Take some time to absorb what's being given. Be thankful for receiving the criticism.

This is the first skill to master.

The second is actively seeking criticism.

This is more difficult. You must find a working environment where it's accepted. You need to find others who are good at giving criticism. And you must ask for it, over and over.

But if you can pair those two things—seeking criticism and taking it well—your rate of improvement will swiftly outpace those around you.

Have a great week.

Graham

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Links

📚 Book Notes: Built to Last by Jim Collins & Jerry Porras - This is a business classic, and I'm surprised it took me this long to read it. It's a great primer for those trying to build lasting, successful companies, whether from scratch (like a startup) or at an established giant (like a Fortune 100). If you've worked in a great company, you'll recognize many of the characteristics too.

📖 How to Handle Criticism - Josh Spector - I avoided reading this article until I'd written my intro, but it's a perfect complement. Josh covers how to absorb, ignore and respond to criticism of all kinds.

📖 Shawn Bradley's Tall Order - Sports Illustrated - A gut-wrenching profile of former NBA star Shawn Bradley, who suffered a bike accident at age 48 which has left him paralyzed. A profile which highlights the challenges presented to those dealing with long-term disabilities and caring for others.

📖 Welcome to Extremistan. Don't Be a Turkey. - Taylor Pearson - If you're not familiar with Nassim Taleb's work, this one might take some re-reading. The basics: we think we live in a world of predictability—Mediocristan—but in reality, we live in a world of power laws and outlier events—Extremistan. When we conflate the two, bad things happen.

🍿 "FORM" feat. John John Florence - Nothing makes me want to quit my job and move to a beach somewhere more than a good surf film. This one features the Florence brothers and friends during a period of particularly big swell in Hawaii.

Question

"What would it look like if you wanted to 10X these results?" — Larry Page, Google cofounder, is known to ask this one.

This question is valuable because it forces a complete shift in thinking, and can uncover some unconventional ideas that wouldn't have come up otherwise.

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Josh Spector-->

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@jspector

The 8 stages of being a creator:

1. Admiring other creations
2. Creating something
3. Creating something else
4. Creating something better
5. Optimizing your creations
6. Marketing your creations
7. Monetizing your creations
8. Building a business around your creations

January 16th 2022

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