(This is a short article I needed to get off my chest, I’ve been writing tons for the next couple of weeks)
I moderated a panel yesterday with 4 really bright people in the food tech space.
It was packed! Wow, so many people are here!
I thought the panel went well, my friends congratulated me, but something happened.
I got negative feedback. Not from just one person, but three.
Two said I was bad at managing the mic volume, one said I mistakenly called a woman who had a question, a girl.
This was the first time I received negative feedback from a speaking gig, and I felt terrible, I won’t make those mistakes again, but it made me question the fact that people hated the talk so much, they would come up and say these things in a very condescending tone.
Negative feedback, from random strangers, is a special kind of pain. One that randomly prevents you from sleeping in stressful nights.
But then I remember a special book I just finished reading. That it’s not for them.
The content and value we brought talking about food science were not for the haters or the non-believers.
It’s for the three people who came up afterward and asked me how I started the podcast, and how they can start making an impact in the world of food. I passionately gave them my response and asked them to contact me if they have any questions because I want dreams to come alive.
It’s for the people who’ve seen me speak, multiple times, and said “good job”
It’s for them.
I won’t make those mistakes the haters said again, I am grateful they came up and taught me how I could improve my craft.
But instead of having it haunt my sleep, I need to focus on the believers who want to make a difference in the world.
(This article was supposed to published this morning but wordpress did something whacky and I couldn’t publish! It’s fixed now)
Adam – you’ll never please everyone. Any issues with how you handled this or that should have been delivered constructively. It’s on them if they can’t communicate their displeasure that way.
I was there last night. I thought you did a great job and the event, overall, was very valuable.
Thanks for coming to the event Gary. You’re 100% right, I can’t please everyone, if I can make the people who matter start something great, then I’ve accomplished what I’ve set out to do.
Hey Adam,
I too was there that night and honestly speaking, you had a difficult crowd to start with. There were so many side conversations going on during the panel, I think some people were already tipsy and there were A LOT of people overall. I think you did a fine job. Don’t let this incident discourage you.
Thanks Leme, I’m definitively over it now. The people who mattered, I met with one on one and encouraged them to pursue their dreams.That’s all that matters to me now.