Don’t be too Quick to Dismiss an Ass

In an online Bible study, we recently talked about receiving criticism. When do we willingly receive it? Who has the right to speak into our life? Who do we listen to? These were just a few questions we explored.

Because it was a Bible centered discussion, it reminded me of a Bible story about a man named Balaam. He had an encounter with his donkey, an ass. As the story goes, three times the donkey tried to take a different path. The Lord had put an angel in Balaam’s way to prevent him from going down a wrong path. He didn’t see the angel, but the ass did. In the story the ass spoke to him and it’s a good thing he listened.

Have you ever pushed away criticism because you thought the person speaking to you was an ass? So often we want to dismiss criticism because we think the other person doesn’t have the right to speak into our personal or professional life. That can be a big mistake.

Believe it or not, sometimes you get more truth from those who care less about you. Why? Because they have little or nothing on the line. They don’t care if you like them or what you think of them. Even if their tone is harsh or mean-spirited that doesn’t necessarily invalidate what they have to share.

In contrast, it’s often the case that those closest to us don’t always speak the truth. They may not be truthful because they’re afraid of the response or feel that being candid will damage the relationship.

We shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss someone’s advice, feedback, or criticism just because we don’t like them or don’t think highly of them. There’s an old saying, “Even a broken clock is right twice a day.” I think that applies to feedback, no matter the source. The better approach would be to ask yourself, “Is there any merit or truth to what they are saying?” If there is, use it to be better. If there’s not, simply dismiss it and move on with your day.

Brian Ahearn, CPCU, CTM, CPT, CMCT

Brian Ahearn is the Chief Influence Officer at Influence PEOPLE, LLC. An authorTEDx speaker, international trainer, coach, and consultant, he’s one of only a dozen people in the world personally trained by Robert Cialdini, Ph.D., the most cited living social psychologist on the science of ethical influence.

Brian’s first book, Influence PEOPLE: Powerful Everyday Opportunities to Persuade that are Lasting and Ethical, was named one of the 100 Best Influence Books of All Time by BookAuthority. His second book, Persuasive Selling for Relationship Driven Insurance Agents, was an Amazon new release bestseller in several categories. His new book, The Influencer: Secrets to Success and Happiness, is now available on Amazon.

Brian’s LinkedIn Learning courses on persuasive selling and coaching have been viewed by more than 400,000 people around the world.

0 replies

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.