3 builders who never spoke to each other

Recruit people who will tell you it is bad

Family and early followers approve of everything, which gives you nothing to improve on, so find a small group whose stated job is candour and ask them to pull the work apart. Record your own talks and review them with people whose judgement you trust, say out loud when a campaign is not working and treat that as a diagnosis rather than something to defend, and use the sting as the filter on criticism: ignore who said it and ask whether it hurts because part of it is true. Pick the room carefully, since a group playing a different game will dismiss a profitable small business.

The method

1. 01

   Use the sting as the filter when you get criticism: ignore who said it and how it was said, and ask whether it hurts because part of it is true.

2. 02

   Find a small group of peers who will criticise your work bluntly on request, because family and early followers who approve of everything give you no signal to improve on.

3. 03

   Set up a small recurring call with peers who will push back on your work, and a dedicated channel where people can request a critique.

4. 04

   Film every talk on your phone from the side of the room and review the recording with people whose judgement you trust.

5. 05

   Say out loud when a campaign is not working and treat it as a diagnosis rather than something to defend.

What it returned

• 2014

  Justin has spoken monthly with Paul Jarvis plus Jarrod Drysdale since 2014, and his MegaMaker community keeps a channel dedicated to requesting critique.

• Cohen admits he resists opposition more than he should, and warns that dismissing criticism unconsidered is as dangerous as being paralysed by it.

• Welsh joined a small Slack group of creators whose stated job is candour, and asks them to pull his work apart.

• Waters frames it as behaving like a doctor rather than a parent, deciding on evidence instead of attachment.

Sources

• #HYPERGROWTH18: The Cheat Sheet | Corey HainesBarney Waters · corey.co · Barney Waters · 2018-09-07
• Passion needs rigorJustin Jackson · justinjackson.ca · Fostering a safe, but critical, peer group · undated
• Why geeks should speakJustin Jackson · justinjackson.ca · Finally, let's find you some speaking opportunities · undated
• Why We Often Sabotage OurselvesJustin Welsh · justinwelsh.me · Self-Sabotage Tactic #3: The Echo Chamber · 2023-11-18
• Easy to criticize, hard to createJason Cohen · longform.asmartbear.com · Easy to criticize, hard to create · 2011-12-05
• Climbing SaaS MountainCory Zue · coryzue.com · Startup School: a Mixed Bag · 2018-09-17