We are all guilty of it – dwelling on the negative things people have to say about us (personally or professionally) versus thriving from the positive.
We are professionals. We care about performance, so an unsatisfied customer bothers us. Trust me – I get it. Here’s the thing… I’ve also seen it consume meeting planners and organizers to the point where they spend an entire weekend trying to please the unpleasable versus moving forward and embracing their meeting strengths.
I know how it goes. I’ve allowed a single negative comment to ruin my whole day when ten other people are telling me how great my work is. We are perfectionists; it stinks when someone doesn’t recognize it.
Ultimately, this leads me to another point – many organizations/people run into the pitfall of trying to master all their weaknesses instead of focusing and pushing forward their strengths. Don’t get me wrong – we all have room for improvement, and we need to seriously be aware of where we’re lacking. But try to avoid working so hard on things that aren’t your foundation of success keep you from building upon those elements that already make you unique and valued. Those are the things that you should be highlighting and showcasing at every opportunity to help create your positive brand.
It is important to acknowledge negative feedback, but don’t let it drag you down into a deep hole. Most of the time, anyone who has a negative comment doesn’t feel that the entire event is a disaster; they just want to be heard about their specific situation. It could be the food; it could be the way credits are provided; it could be any number of things. Fine. Listen and swallow it; don’t forget it and let the person know you hear them. Some people are straight up nasty and can’t be pleased (so smile and move on), but for the most part, stress creates stress and kindness creates kindness. So let’s spread kindness, yes?
You put in countless hours of work to run a successful meeting. None of that should disappear because of a few negative comments. And they will exist. No event has 100% positive comments on every single aspect (if I’m wrong, please make me aware of this majestic situation!)
We also highly recommend finding your “brand champions.” The ones that seem to love you no matter what you do! Use their voices to create positive buzz about your event. Make sure they are the ones helping to shape your brand by focusing on what you’re really good at. Send them to the survey page on podiatrymeetings.com to share their feedback publicly! You’d be shocked at how many people will take the time to share your graces.
The main point here – don’t let the haters get you down… and allow your fans to create a positive, meaningful brand for you.
– SARAH