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Grant Cardone

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Why Criticism is Important to Success

Posted: 06/28/11 01:54 PM ET

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Success is limited only by how much attention you can get for yourself, your products and your ideas. The right amount of attention will always attract criticism, even haters. While criticism is never enjoyed, it should be anticipated when trying to get your projects known. The longevity of a project is determined by the quality of what you offer, the success of your project is determined by how much attention you can get for it.

Without the right amount of attention from your target audience, no one will know you or your product, regardless of how good it is. Your desired audience is unable to find value with what you offer if you are unable to first garner their attention. Success is determined, first, by how much attention you can get for your product, service or idea!

The problem with getting attention is threefold:
1) Taking enough action to get the 'right amount' of attention,
2) knowing how to handle the negative criticism that comes with attention,
3) continue to get attention, despite the attacks, until admiration.

Show me the most successful people in any field or business and I will show you people that have successfully generated tremendous amounts of attention for themselves, their products and projects, and in doing so have become the targets of criticism, even hateful attacks. Since the biblical times of Jesus, and throughout history, anyone that truly gets the world's attention will be attacked! There are no exceptions to this rule.

Current history is filled with a long list of business successes who acquired the right amount of attention and subsequently attracted criticizers, naysayers, even vehement haters. The likes of Ted Turner, Oprah, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg and on and on. When Ted Turner introduced 24-hour-a-day news, the criticizers showed up in masses. He didn't retreat (the goal of the criticizers) from getting CNN attention, instead he increased the attention on himself and CNN until the world became admirers and the haters moved to another target.

I received a great deal of attention due to a comment I made on a TV interview, "I can make successful any company, in any city in the USA, no matter the condition of the economy." I was later criticized and attacked for this claim and, rather than backing off, I increased the attention I got for it. I wrote hundreds of articles and then published four books on what companies and families must do to survive and prosper in the new economy. We then aggressively hammered social media to gain more attention using sites like The Huffington Post, business blogs, Facebook, Twitter and appearances on Fox TV, MSNBC, CNBC and others. All the while the criticizers and haters were howling from the rooftops, trying to get me to back off. The commitment to move through the criticism and continue getting attention resulted in me getting a TV show called TurnAround King.

I prepared my staff, "when the criticism comes, and it will, it is a sign we are doing the right things and we will not get smaller and back off, but instead we will increase our efforts until the criticizers become haters and are outnumbered by the admirers." One simple example of criticism was at my Twitter account, twitter@grantcardone, where I Tweet a business solution every hour. A supposed "social media expert" wrote me saying, "the #1 rule with social media is do not post too much." Notice his criticism offers no solution, only what not to do. He should be thanking me for freely giving away information once every hour, but instead he criticizes beneath the claim of rules and help.

Criticism and the Success Formula
1) Get so much attention you start to get criticism.
2) Disregard the criticism and get more attention. (Never attack the haters).
3) Criticism will increase to new levels, even lies, increasing the amount of attention again.
4) Continue getting attention, disregarding the criticism, until admiration, at which point the haters will move on to pick another target (they always do)!

The goal of criticism is almost never to actually help. When criticism does not offer a solution, it is always with the goal to reduce you and your efforts. Your success in the world is only limited by the amount of attention you can receive in the world!

Lastly, the 'haters' don't really hate you, at best they are threatened, envious and jealous. More accurately, they are being reminded of their inferior products and unwillingness to take the right amount of action to make their own projects successful! The little thinkers and doers come screaming from every crack and crevice the moment anyone starts to get attention for their projects and succeed! Negative responses are so predictable that you should actually use it as an indicator that you are starting to get the right amount of attention.

"Little thinkers and little doers criticize in an effort to keep bigger thinkers and bigger doers small."

Grant Cardone, New York Times Best-Selling Author.

 
 
 

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11:37 AM on 06/29/2011
Read this article on Virginia's Facebook page at the perfect time...Always knew it was the case, and I've certainly lived my life by it, but thanks for articulating....
02:30 AM on 06/29/2011
Perhaps you could give us an insight into what prompts a critic to act: what was Milton Katselas doing that prompted you to instigate an email hate campaign? He was obviously very successful in his work, his product was outstanding, his reputation high but yet you still felt the need to take him down a peg or two. Were you threatened by his success, did you desist in your fair-gaming activity when Milton carried on regardless and garnered more admiration? I am sure you have some piercing insights from the other side - care to share?
09:56 PM on 06/28/2011
Grant is relentless and believes and can do what he says
09:36 PM on 06/28/2011
Grant is RIGHT ON! Ask Mark Zuckerburg. That was his formula.
09:28 PM on 06/28/2011
Its simple folks, people that show up & succeed will all ways be criticized by the lazy coach potato cryin about being broke both spiritually & financially. DON'T point fingers, get the fingers pointed at you! #HIREMEGRANT who else is hiring right now?
10:45 AM on 06/29/2011
amazing how Grants wife pod unit shoes up to address the "little people"

I am pretty sure not all criticism is good for the career...Hitler-Charles Manson-James Arthur Ray-Reed Slatkin-Bernie Matoff-Rex Fowler In their case the negative criticism is warrant
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Barbara Graham
Comin at u from Area 5150
01:28 PM on 06/29/2011
What's a "coach potato?"
07:32 PM on 06/28/2011
As always Grant is Amazing. Grant knows the way to Success. Listen and Learn!
06:52 PM on 06/28/2011
I LOVE this article. Particularly "When criticism does not offer a solution, it is always with the goal to reduce you and your efforts."
That is so cool! Good solution offered I might just listen. No solution - Haha! I know what your up to. lol
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Jim Valko
05:36 PM on 06/28/2011
LOL...Grant, based on some of the critical remarks you've gotten in this blog it's proof that what you say is true!!! Great article. I have been in the direct response advertising business for years and we have a saying that goes like this: "If our advertising isn't pissing someone off than it's not working." It's so true. If you're not ruffling a few feathers then chances are you're sending out a watered down message which isn’t impinging on anyone. That doesn’t work. Take a stance, say what you mean directly and your target market will love for it, while others will hate you. Of course, you don’t want a lot of criticism, just enough to know that you are impinging with your communication.
This is especially true if you are trying to generate any kind of new idea or new reality. I think this quote says it best:

"All truth passes through three stages: First, it is ridiculed; Second,
it is violently opposed; and Third, it is accepted as self-evident."
- Arthur Schopenhauer
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Tequilatarian
05:49 PM on 06/28/2011
Grant getting criticism is not proof that what he says is true. It only says he is getting criticism. You have to evaluate for yourself if the criticism is warranted.

Otherwise, by your argument, all people getting criticism are just successful people, end of story. It is a flawed argument worthy of a bumper sticker at best.
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Barbara Graham
Comin at u from Area 5150
04:33 PM on 06/28/2011
I don't agree with your formula. If we look at the Scientology organization, we can see that ignoring criticism simply generates more, until the business model starts crashing.

You seem to adhere to the adage, "Any publicity is good publicity." It's not. Any business that repeatedly finds itself at the wrong end of negative publicity is not going to linger favorably in the public's mind.

You are not going to win admiration with allegations of child labor, human trafficking, harassment and intimidation of critics and ex-members, medical malfeasance, forced abortions in the Sea Org, and human rights abuses.

The model you present is flawed, because you are assuming that admiration will follow attention drawn by criticism. In the scenario mentioned above, we shall see who is right in the near future.
05:39 PM on 06/28/2011
Looks like Grant is right! Ha ha - Epic fail, Barbara!
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Barbara Graham
Comin at u from Area 5150
12:19 PM on 06/29/2011
How is Grant right? The carnival hasn't imploded yet, so please hold your gloating until punch and caek are served.
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Jim Valko
05:42 PM on 06/28/2011
I think you missed Gary's point. Sounds like you simply wanted to use this blog as a way to rant about Scientology. Hmm.... that’s kind of strange.
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Barbara Graham
Comin at u from Area 5150
12:18 PM on 06/29/2011
No, I want to challenge his "success formula" that relies on criticism. He's got it all wrong. But I don't need to repeat myself.
03:42 PM on 06/28/2011
I don't really get the meaning of your title. Your article appears to be saying that criticism is a byproduct of success whereas your title implies that it is a necessary part of achieving it.

You could remove all mention of criticism from your success formula without any real affect on its implementation.

Also, there is surely a difference between personal, small-minded criticism and negative feedback.

If someone has a complaint about your business it is still useful information, even if it is not accompanied by constructive suggestions.

Dealing with criticism from customers is going to help your business more than ignoring it.
03:39 PM on 06/28/2011
Well said, Mr. Cardone! I wish I had some criticism to offer...
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Tequilatarian
03:55 PM on 06/28/2011
Mr. Meskimen...you are guilty of the same kinds of actions that Grant Cardone has been accused of...going after scientologists who seem disaffected by the cult and trying to get other scientologists to disconnect from them.

Grant Cardone did his by writing letters to acting scientologists to stop going to the Beverly Hills Playhouse taught by Milton Katselas because he had stopped taking active courses from scientology. You did yours by going to the Facebook accounts of scientologists you were told were declared SPs and telling all their friends they had to disconnect.

You two are cut from the same cloth.
03:26 PM on 06/28/2011
This article is totally on point and I've witnessed it happen first hand and as a "spectator"; whether in my personal life with friends, co-workers, and as a huge sports fan I see ALL the time. The most hated on players are always the BEST top performing players. They don't ever let it stand in their way of winning cause they know it goes with the territory of success. You just keep on plowing through, doing what you do best and the rest is just "noise": little people trying to see if they can bring you down to their own level... and only weak people focus on the negative. Gotta love them haters or as I like to call them: secret admirers.
03:25 PM on 06/28/2011
I couldn't agree more! Any attention is good attention!
02:53 PM on 06/28/2011
I fully agree that criticism is vital to the growth of a business. It's a strong form of motivation and a sign that you're attracting attention. Good and bad. One should never be shy nor stray away from their goals and vision simply because they have critics. Keep pushing!
02:46 PM on 06/28/2011
Cool article!
05:41 PM on 06/28/2011
does Grant pay you to comment on the articles Jen