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“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.
If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.”
Warren Buffet
At the end of a day, everyone has their own way of finding moments to unwind. For me, diving into a thrilling action-packed novel is the perfect way to switch off.
However, I recently encountered an unexpected twist in my reading journey that left me reeling. As I delved into a book I had been enjoying, everything seemed to be unfolding seamlessly…until it wasn’t.
Around the 70% mark, the storyline took an abrupt turn, veering into an entirely different genre altogether. To say I was caught off guard would be an understatement. Suddenly, the captivating narrative I had been immersed in transformed into something unrecognisable, leaving me struggling to connect with the new direction.
I’m all into innovation but this was something very different. It was like watching a James Bond movie, and then inexplicably at the two-thirds mark jumping into a Star Wars one. It just doesn’t work and dis-respects the audience.
Curious if others shared my sentiments, I reached out to someone else I knew was reading it. They told me that it was the first time they’d ever ‘wanted to punch a book’.
LOL! 🙂
I’ve never heard anyone say that about a book – ever! But he hit the nail on the head. I’ve read bad books before but I can honestly say I’ve never had such a visceral reaction to a book in my life.
Reflecting on this experience, I was asking myself what could I learn from this experience?
One point that occurred to me was that there is no way that someone around the author didn’t see the potential for catastrophe here. Which raises the question, did anyone say anything to the author? Or if they did, did he want to hear their feedback? Did he proceed, regardless?
The more success we have, the harder it can be to hear the ‘real feedback’ that matters.
Sometimes this is because we ‘think’ we are right. Often it’s because people are afraid to tell us what they really think. And maybe sometimes it’s because we are too comfortable staying in our echo chamber.
So, some questions to consider for this week:
Where can I cultivate conditions in my work and/or life for better feedback? How can I improve the perspective on my life, work and performance in both?
Shane
PS – If you’re curious, the book in question is ‘The Year Of The Locust.’ The author, Terry Hayes, had previously written one of my favourite books in recent years, ‘I Am Pilgrim.’
PPS – If you’ve read any fiction books recently that you consider great, I’d love to get your recommendation!
The Inner Edge Podcast: Short, bite-sized nuggets of 10-12 minutes, designed to give you motivation and plenty of inspirational food for thought. Listen on my website here or on all major podcasting platforms.
This week’s episode, Ep 167: Getting Out Of A Slump
