Tim Ferriss: Don't Be Afraid to Piss People Off
New entrants to office life sometimes hesitate to make waves and anger co-workers, and for some personality types this tendency to avoid conflict continues throughout life. Of course, picking unnecessary fights and instigating battles over petty office politics is always a stupid idea -- no one is saying all fights are good fights -- but on his blog today best-selling author Tim Ferriss is out to remind those predisposed towards timidity that pissing people off is sometimes necessary if you want to do anything big in your career.
Doing anything remotely interesting will bring criticism. Attempting to do anything large-scale and interesting will bring armies of detractors and saboteurs. This is fine â€" if you are willing to take the heat.
There are good reasons to be willing, even eager... pissing people off is both inevitable and necessary. This doesn't mean that the goal is pissing people off. Pissing people off doesn't mean you're doing the right things, but doing the right things will almost inevitably piss people off.So what if, like me, you're not one who is naturally spoiling for a fight? Ferriss suggests we build up our defenses and says that by "facing the fire early and often, we ensure the confidence and breathing room later to do bigger and better things." It's a nice reminder to get in the habit of figuring out what you want to do and why you want to do it early and to own these decisions before the world. Be out there with who you are and what you do and you're bound to catch some flack, but getting used to living with the threat of disapproval will prepare you to risk and stand up for bigger and tougher decisions later on.
Read More on BNET:
- Tim Ferriss: Pessimism is a Productivity Booster
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