| http://37signals.com/svn/archi...of_putdowns_is_rocket_fuel.php | Date: 4/26/2006 1:24 AM |
Praise, support, and devotion are important elements of happy living in product development. There are few things more satisfying than sharing a great quote with the team in Campfire. An internal smile always lights up when you hear about how your decisions and execution made somebody’s day or work more pleasurable.
That’s the bright happiness. But its alter ego, the dark, guilty happiness of defiance, can be even more addictive, invigorating, and powerful: it’s the rocket fuel you find in the venom of put-downs. And you don’t need much to ignite a flush fire of ambition to prove them wrong.
Kathy Sierra tells us about how life in the success lane is the composite product of love + hate. It doesn’t take a wizard’s cap to figure out how to make the most of love, but what I’m suggesting is admitting that you can make the most of hate too.
Don’t be so quick to dismiss the hate in order to keep your shiny happy mind at ease. Yes, tone down the saturation of the hate to keep it from engulfing your soul with pessimism, but leave just enough sting to paint a bull’s eye.
Cherry pick a few haters, a few dismissive claims, and distill your frustration into combustion for a can-do drive.