Winning Mind Training

  • Home
  • About
    • About Winning Mind
    • Testimonials
  • Blog
  • Courses Listing / Calendar
    • Training Schedule
    • Course Descriptions
      • Dare To Be Great Leadership: Strategies to Help Build and Sustain a Culture of Leading, Learning and Excellence
      • Dare to Be Great: Strategies for Creating a Culture of Leading
      • Dare To Be Great Leadership 2.0: Continuing the Journey of Building a Culture of Leading, Learning and Excellence
      • Dare To Be Great Leadership: Strategies to Help Build and Sustain a Culture of Leading, Learning and Excellence
      • Excellence In Training
      • Performance Enhancement Imagery
      • PPCT Threat Pattern Recognition Use of Force Instructor Course
      • Ground Fighting and A.C.E. Edged Weapons Defense Instructor Course
      • Lessons From Life’s Most Powerful Question
  • Resources
  • Contact Us

December 10, 2013 By Brian Willis

Excellence in Training – Learning From the Skeptic

If you are a trainer who is committed to excellence in training and is continually innovating and looking to enhance and improve your training the following blog post from Seth Godin has an important message for you. In your pursuit of excellence you will encounter skeptics. Godin provides some insights on which ones to ignore, and which ones to spend time with.

The generous skeptic

If you’ve got a big idea, there’s no doubt that you will run into skeptics along the way.

Many skeptics are afraid for you, embrace the status quo, and in their twisted but well-intentioned way, will work to persuade you to give up your dream. This sort of skeptic should be ignored, certainly. It doesn’t really pay to argue with them, because your impassioned restatement of your view of reality will do little to persuade them that you’re not doing something crazy risky.

The other kind of skeptic, though, should be treated totally differently.

The generous skeptic has insight into your field, your strengths and weaknesses. She wants you to succeed, but maybe, just maybe, sees something you don’t.

When the generous skeptic speaks up, she’s taking a risk. If you respond to her generosity by arguing, by shutting down, by avoiding eye contact or becoming defensive, you’ve blown it. You’ve taken a gift and wasted it, and disrespected the gift giver at the same time.

The alternative is to emotionally stand up and sit down on her side of the table. Egg her on. Imagine the world the way she sees it. Take her tactical skepticism and amplify it, pushing it to its logical conclusion. Instead of defending the flickering flame of your idea as if it might soon be extinguished, dump as much of this sort of skepticism on the idea as you can.

Not only are you honoring the generous skeptic when you do this, you’re learning how to see the way she sees. Your job isn’t to persuade her she’s wrong, your job is to learn from this and buttress your project in a way that when it collides with the market, you’re ready.

“Tell me more about that,” is the useful and productive response, not, “no, you’re wrong, you don’t understand.”

There’s always time to ignore this feedback later. Right now, dive into it, with an eager, open mind. It’s a gift you’re not often offered.

 

Wise advice from Seth Godin. The generous skeptic can help us make our ideas and training even better if we are willing to listen.

Take care.

Brian Willis

Trainer, thought leader, author and a man with many questions

At Winning Mind Training we are driven by our dedication to inspiring the pursuit of personal excellence and our belief that every law enforcement officer deserves to experience awesome training.

If you like the Excellence in Training philosophy make sure you attend the comprehensive and one of a kind Excellence in Training Course. Check out our website at www.brianw260.sg-host.com for a list of upcoming dates and locations for the Excellence in Training Course.

To book Brian to speak at your event or to your officers contact him at winningmind@mac.com.

Filed Under: Blog

Subscribe To Our Blog

Sign up to the Winning Mind Training blog to receive new articles, tips and posts directly to your email inbox.

Excellence In Training Blog

  • Why do we think this is good training? May 30, 2023
  • For wherever you are there is somewhere further you can go. May 23, 2023
  • Are you teaching effective breathing, or just talking about it? April 24, 2023
  • It is not about you, but it starts with you.  April 18, 2023
  • Dropping post-secondary education requirement is not lower standards.  April 10, 2023

Contact Winning Mind Training

Address:
246 Stewart Green S.W., Suite #2486
Calgary AB. Canada. T3H 3C8

Phone: 403-279-5954

Email: winningmind@mac.com

Connect With Us

  • Email
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Winning Mind Training is a proud member of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce. To get more information and to find out how you can become a member of the Chamber of Commerce go to www.calgarychamber.com

Events

  • NAFTO Conference
    • Wednesday, Jun 14, 2023 - Friday, Jun 16, 2023
  • Performance Enhancement Imagery Workshop - Delta, B.C.
    • Tuesday, Jun 20, 2023 - Thursday, Jun 22, 2023
    • Delta
  • Lessons From Life's Most Powerful Question for Public Safety Personnel - Newark, NY
    • Monday, Jun 26, 2023
    • Newark, NY
  • Copyright © 2023 · Winning Mind Training