Jude Law is finishing a stint as “Hamlet” in, of all places, Denmark. His portrayal will be haunting New York in the coming months, for a limited run.
Commenting to an interviewer from The New York Times, Mr. Law said he doesn’t read reviews of his performances. “If you read good reviews,” he says, “You become self-conscious about the bits they like, and it starts to make those bits tacky – as if you’re churning them out.”
“And if you get bad reviews, they’re going to crush your ego. It’s like vinegar in the wound. So there’s no point in reading them.”
His perspective is quite pertinent to me as a writer, teacher, trainer, and professional speaker.
I used to bill myself as a TOP-RATED instructor at various university colleges of continuing education. I’m not convinced this self-glorification ever made the difference in anyone choosing to enroll in one of my courses, or in retaining me for their companies to speak or to consult.
And over time, I decided peacocking in this way wasn’t all that helpful. I found myself expecting praise and becoming too conservative. I resisted trying out new and potentially ratings-reducing topics.
What did it say about me or about my classes that my ratings were, at times, flawless, all 5’s on 5-point scales? When I failed to earn the kudos of all, I relentlessly soul-searched to determine how I fell from grace with those few that took issue with my style, content, or treatment.
Were those classes, the ones that failed to “reach” certain attendees, materially worse than the top-rated ones?
What about the best-selling books I’ve written, those that have sold hundreds of thousands of copies? Are they more meritorious than the titles that were orphaned by publishers that were suddenly gobbled-up by larger corporate predators, just as my tomes reached bookstores?
Now, I’ve come full-circle and share Mr. Law’s view. I don’t really care to see my teaching evaluations, book reviews, or to hear feedback, unless it is literally, earth shaking or life changing.
I feel like actors that decline Academy Awards, while asking: “How can you compare two artists that do unique interpretations of different characters?”
When Teacher “A” gets great scores for his Geometry class, this doesn’t necessarily compare to Teacher “B” that garners glowing
Dr. Gary S. Goodman is a sought-after speaker, sales, negotiation & customer service consultant, attorney, TV and radio commentator. The best-selling author of 12 books and more than 1,500 articles, Gary conducts seminars and speaks at convention programs around the world. He can be reached at gary@customersatisfaction.com.
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