Tired of getting contradictory “Feedback”?
This is how you make sure it doesn’t happen again!

We live in a world of information abundance. There is so much good info, crap info & general info out there, that it’s almost impossible to really decipher what’s applicable in your case.
There’s a million diets out there, each which tell you to do the EXACT opposite, for if you do not, you will get fat or die young.
There is a million theories on how to live, each which tell you to do the EXACT opposite, lest you spend your life miserable.
There is a million chunks of contradictory advice that guru’s, investors, board members, panelists, etc will give you for your business or startup, each which is “right” in it’s own sense, but can be completely confusing if it’s not further clarified.

I want to touch on this last piece with today’s post.
I was asked the following question by a young startup founder who was practicing her pitch infront of a panel today.
“How do I deal with all the contradictory feedback I get from all the panelists? They’re all obviously smart & successful people, so I’m not sure how to deal with that”?
Note — I wasn’t one of the panelists, but I did have feedback on how to deal with the feedback! haha
CONTEXT!
This is how you separate the wheat from the chaff, or the “shit from clay” as an old mentor of mine would say.
10 different opinions from 10 different people who all think they’re right (and generally have a track record of being right) is a real pain in the ass.
So YOU need to challenge them to clarify.
Here’s a scenario:
You’re doing a pitch to a panel of investors. Could be real or practice.
At the end, they all give you “feedback”.
Bob says: “It was great, but I think you need to go more into the numbers & show how you’re going to make money”.
Sally on the other hand says: “Great pitch, but I think there was too much detail in there, too many forecasts, financials, etc. I want you to sell me on the idea now — and if I’m interested, I’ll ask about the numbers later”.
WTF???
Believe it or not — shit like that happens ALL THE TIME.
Most younger entrepreneurs will just sit there & nod, say thank you, then walk away wondering how the fuck to reconcile those two pieces of advice.
So, this is what you do:
Entrepreneur: “Thanks Sally. I’d just like to clarify how that relates to what Bob said earlier? And can you give me some guidance on which approach works better in what context?”
The first part challenges them to think about how to support their feedback, in a non-confrontational way, whilst the second part will force them to clarify & contextualise the feedback, and not just give you some generic, run of the mill crap that you don’t know where to use later.
It takes a little guts to do this, but the rewards are worth it — and — you’ll most likely be remembered.
Context is so important in everything you do. It’s what makes the difference between the “same” advice being perfect, or complete rubbish. And instead of you thinking about where to apply it, make them do the hard work!
Remember. Nothing is intrinsically ‘right’ or ‘wrong’. This is the subject of a much broader article I’ll be writing soon, but suffice it to say; without understanding the context, the most innocent acts could be considered crimes & the most sinister acts could be see as innocent. Or, in a business context:
“The piece of advice that made your competitor succeed could be the SAME piece of advice that ensured your failure”
Yes…I just made that up then..

So best of luck in all your endeavours. If you’re giving advice, or taking advice, please try to clarify. Context is your friend. It’s what makes things make sense — so use it!
Thankyou
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