When you launch a business, you’ll encounter two types of people immediately: the Naysayers and the Cheerleaders.
The Naysayers will magnify your risks and tell you you’re crazy. The Cheerleaders will tell you every idea is a stroke of genius because they want you to feel good. Most advice tells you to ignore the Naysayers, but here is the cold truth: The Cheerleaders are just as useless.
If you want your business to survive the “reality check” of the open market, you don’t need noise—you need Truth Tellers.
The Danger of “Blind” Support
Going it alone is emotionally taxing, but the last thing you need is the ratification of a bad idea.
- Naysayers feed your insecurity.
- Cheerleaders feed your ego.
- Truth Tellers feed your business strategy.
Unearned encouragement can lead you to waste years of time and thousands of dollars on a path that was never going to work. To succeed, you need advisers who are objective enough to assess your ideas unemotionally and brave enough to tell you the truth—even when it hurts.
How to Identify Your Reality-Checkers
Building this inner circle requires objectivity on your part. You are looking for a small, elite group that provides a “friction point” for your ideas. Here is how to find them:
1. Look at Their History
Review your past interactions with the people in your life. Have they ever told you a difficult truth without being critical or confrontational? If they’ve shown they can deliver hard news with your best interests at heart, they are prime candidates for your circle.
2. Test the Newcomers
When bringing in new mentors or partners, watch how they handle delicate situations. Do they “people-please” to avoid tension, or do they prioritize the health of the project over the comfort of the room?
3. Limit the Voices
Don’t crowd the room. Bringing too many voices into the mix creates confusion. Identify a small group (3-5 people) and go to them—and only them—when you need to stress-test a plan.
Empower Your Advisers
Finding the right people is only half the battle; you must also empower them.
Because it is your company, people may naturally hesitate to second-guess you. You must explicitly give them “permission to offend.” Tell them: “I don’t need you to tell me this is great. I need you to tell me why it might fail.”
When you empower your truth-tellers, you stop guessing and start growing.
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