doug smith training

Who likes rejection? Me, either. And yet there is something even worse than rejection. Something that gets us all worked up and nervous, something that creates the kind of environment where rejection becomes certain: fear of rejection. Fear of rejection is far worse than rejection. Make the request. Listen for the answer. Move ahead. -- doug smith Leadership Action Plan Leaders must deal with rejection on a daily basis. Today, the very next time someone rejects one of your requests, pause in silence for three full seconds.  Stay curious, and find out what they might need in order to give you what you requested.

The rejection of our creative work says nothing about its value. Not everyone will get it. We won't all understand. It can take many iterations, many attempts, even many years for people to embrace the creative output that we produce. It's still valuable. Hold onto your creativity and then let it go -- let it go INTO your work. Let it go INTO your life. Let it go INTO your soul. Rejection is just a point of view. -- Doug Smith

Why do people reject our ideas? If you're like me, this can drive you to distraction. The idea is sound, the logic is flawless, the need is palpable, and yet sometimes people reject our best ideas. Maybe they don't understand them yet. Maybe we don't understand what they are looking for (or more importantly, what they are seeing). The work has just begun. It does not good to walk away pretending we've reached an understanding when what we've really reached is an impasse. Whatever is blocking you usually doesn't go away on its own. We need to work harder at understanding what's going on. People aren't always trying to be difficult (yes, I know that sometimes they are). People don't always find us objectionable (although it can feel like that). Sometimes we just don't understand. We need to understand the value. We need to understand the urgency. We need to understand the need. We need to understand. Otherwise, we're not likely going ...

Does rejection stop you in your tracks? Do you ever find yourself altering your work simply to avoid being rejected. I hate rejection as much as the next person. It leaves a sour taste in my mouth. It sometimes discourages me. It causes me to question what I'm doing and even who I am. But that's not very useful, is it? Rejection does not have to devalue us. Rejection is simply one perspective, and hey, most of the time it's wrong. So what if that person does not want to buy your product? If it's still a good product, it can still help others. So what if that person doesn't want to spend time with you anymore (well, OK this is really more than a little "so what") it doesn't mean that you're a bad person or not worth spending time with you. It just says a little something about the person we perceive as rejecting us. Let that last sentence roll around your head a moment longer please: it just says a little something about the person we perceive...