“I have never listened to anyone who criticized my taste in space travel, sideshows or gorillas. When this occurs, I pack up my dinosaurs and leave the room.” - Ray Bradbury
As I fully move into my role as CEO and out of the Executive Director role here at Tech Wildcatters, I find myself needing (more possibly, desperately wanting) the clarity of a daily post. Writing is my thing. Quotes give me a theme. If my selfish desires help you out in any way, extra bonus.
Today’s quote is from one of my favorite authors. I’ve read his book Zen in the Art of Writing a few times and he makes me feel like I’m not the only weirdo out there. This particular quote is so perfectly him. It was his comfort in his own skin that led to some of the best science fiction writing on earth. Pun intended.
As a startup founder, if you’re going to be successful, you’ll have to get comfortable packing up your dinosaurs a lot. If I’ve learned anything over the past year, it’s that everyone falls somewhere on an adoption spectrum. Whether they are adopting products or ideas or people, they look at them from their place on the adoption curve. So I’ve had to learn that when someone isn’t on the innovator or early adopter end of the curve, I’m wasting my time trying to explain myself. They need me to first show it, then watch others adopt it. Turns out they are some of the biggest supporters when it reaches them where they are.
So when you feel like you or your ideas are being criticized, maybe your timing is wrong with that particular group or person.
And if you ever ask me to fax something, you’ll learn that my dinosaur ate my fax a long time ago.
