Are we too sensitive

Over the past two weeks, I’ve witnessed something online that’s pathetic and unfortunate. I’ve witnessed firsthand, the sensitive egos of two “thought leaders”. These are two people who are supposedly leaders in the social space. Two people who despite starting their own companies, are essentially their own brand. Others look up to these folks and follow their every word. Yet it appears that these two individuals also have sensitive egos that can’t handle criticism.

Complete satisfaction is something that does not exist in commerce. There will always be critiques, there will always be someone who doesn’t agree with something about your brand. With this in mind, have we become too sensitive as consumers and as professionals? Are we automatically becoming defensive rather than welcoming ways to improve? How do we respond to negative comments?

While I understand that the two individuals reference above receive criticism on a daily/weekly/monthly basis, the one thing that stood out to me was their response. Or lack thereof. Both responses were short, snide and had a tone of “how dare you disagree with me and my product”. I’ve never been in this situation, but I assume that after a while it gets old responding to the same comments. As brands, however, we need to continue to address such remarks.

I know we’ve been fighting this for decades and it’s human nature to become defensive when you feel attacked, but I hope that with social comes the desire to accept and seek improvement. We need to accept the fact that not everyone will agree with us. Not everyone will like our brand. You can’t hide or get rid of criticism. It’s vital for improvement and change. Welcome that feedback. Open your arms. Respond. Show that you truly seek to better your brand/product.

So get off your pedestal, pull your pants up and quit being a sissy.