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Keep an open mind

“I've stopped reading business blogs that don't align 100% with my beliefs and values.  We all succeed more quickly by learning from like-minded folks, catering to them and ignoring everyone else.”

The person who wrote the blog comment above seemed proud of having limited the scope of his world. That's a sad and self-defeating way to live. It also sets up your business for disaster.

You should never shelter yourself from different points of view. This will make you less capable of understanding clients whose backgrounds differ from yours. You will become blind to pains, needs, concerns, and pleasures that you don't share.  You will constrict opportunities for curiosity and innovation. Not only that, but you will become less flexible when things don't go your way.

Do not restrict yourself to commentary that matches your worldview. This can lead to making uninformed assumptions. You will become prone to dangerous marketing disasters. A narrow information field can result in conflicts that seem to come out of nowhere. Your naive pronouncements could unintentionally offend people. 

Why create an information bubble for yourself? Stay open to learning, growing—and yes, disagreeing.

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