Feedback is powerful.
Evaluated feedback carries more weight.

Not all feedback is created equally.

Back in August of 2013 I posted a photo of myself on my social media sites. I loved the look, the playfulness, the setting, and the message it sent. The photographer and I had fun with the shoot. The photo remains as my profile photo on LinkedIn.

Soon after the photo “went public” I received the following LinkedIn message from a “connection”:

This self-appointed monitor for all things professional was a speaker I had met over the years.  You will notice he referenced his article that, I guess, would guide me to proper photogenic and sartorial behavior.

I was struck by the word “inappropriate.”   Synonyms include “tasteless, unseemly, improper, and irrelevant.”

Hmm. A photo on a beach, with a button-down collared shirt, and dress slacks.

So, I waited for more feedback. Again, unsolicited. Maybe I had misread something.  The other responses I got did not indicate “inappropriate” as the bloviating critic had opined. My response:

Never heard from the photo police again.

Feedback is powerful. Evaluated feedback carries more weight. Understand why people critique as they do.

Understand why you do what you do. Is it authenticity, show, money, “likes,” or something else? Be honest and be transparent with yourself and those who depend on you for a service or product. What you portray will play a part in what you attract.

For instance, if an organization would not hire me to speak or write because of an open-collared shirt, then I more than likely do not want to collaborate with them. Isn’t it great we know that up front? No false image. Transparency.  As long as I understand that (I do) and can live with it (I can) and I am not hurting anyone (I’m not), then my path is not determined by you.  I create it.

Be true to yourself.

Video recommendation for the week:

Tom Petty sings it well. What is your personal brand going to be?

Make it an inspiring year and H.T.R.B. as needed.

For information about and to order my book, Stories About Teaching, Learning, and Resilience: No Need to be an Island, click here.  A number of colleges and one state-wide agency have adopted it for training and coaching purposes. Contact me if you and your team are interested in doing the same.

My podcasts: The Growth and Resilience Network® (http://stevepiscitelli.com/media-broadcast/podcast).

My programs and webinars: website  (http://stevepiscitelli.com/programs/what-i-do) and (http://stevepiscitelli.com/programs/webinars).

Pearson Education publishes my student textbooks for life success—Choices for College Success (3^rd edition) and Study Skills: Do I Really Need This Stuff? (3^rd edition).

(c) 2018. Steve Piscitelli. All rights reserved.