So I made a monumental screw up.
I’m talking epic.
I published a blog post that contained WRONG information.
If it was your average post about home or auto insurance, then perhaps it wouldn’t have been such a pie-in-the-face moment. But of course, it had to be about the single biggest piece of healthcare legislation since the invention of Medicare in 1965.
*SIGH*
The post is titled Can I still get health insurance after Obamacare open enrollment ends?
The bulk of my blog centers around facts. And when you get those facts WRONG- yikes.
Trust me when I say, NO ONE out there could possibly make me feel any worse about this than I have. I have beaten up on myself countless times, railed against my mistake, and hung my head.
The sting is only slightly less because the basis of my blog post was based on information I got from a company representative. I took it at face value and ran with it. You would figure it was right. In the future, if I have even the slightest question, I guess I’ll need to do my own research. Lesson learned.
When Haters Attack…..
It may as well have been bow & arrow season because the aim was vicious. Understand this- I am perfectly OK with constructive criticism. By all means say “Carrie- I think you’ve made a mistake” or “Hey- where did you get your information, because that’s not what I’ve heard”, please speak up. Which is exactly what one of my colleagues did- he called me up and asked “Where did you get that information? I’ve been on the phone with my company reps and I’m getting a different answer.” Which by the way- THANK YOU for calling me. I appreciate it.
But when the comments took a nasty turn and became a personal attack- I am not OK with that. Acknowledging a mistake is one thing. Turning it into an evaluation of my worth as a person is completely uncalled for and unprofessional. And when you do this signed in as “Guest”, that’s just pure cowardice. I pretty much will discount whatever you’re trying to say at that point. You can read the comments.
Was I hurt by the attack? Of course. Did it sting for a few days afterward? Yes. Did I feel like a big fat loser after it was all said and done? Um, yeah.
But haters are just waiting in the wings for you to make that screw up
I will say this again- NO MATTER whether you get things right or wrong, there will always be SOMEONE waiting to criticize, belittle, and undermine you. And the more success you’ve achieved, the more people are gleefully rubbing their hands together waiting for that fateful screw up.
And when you’ve branded yourself as “The Insurance Goddess”, well obviously that means you are NEVER allowed to make a mistake. Let me be clear about this- just because I’m known as The Insurance Goddess does NOT mean I’m perfect or some super-human deity (no matter how much I joke around). It just means I have a hell of a lot more fun at my job than most people.
Perception is everything
My branding = perception that I am an authority in my field. I consciously have established this brand. I should know what I’m talking about. You’re right- I should. And I do. I’m pretty sure that if I didn’t, I wouldn’t still be here after 17 years. One mistake does not an idiot make.
But in real life, we don’t make allowances for mistakes, especially the higher up the food chain you are. Think of all the celebrities that royally screw up and are practically crucified by the general public.
We all make mistakes. Yes, even those that sit around and cast judgment. It’s not so much about making the mistake. It’s about what you do to fix that mistake.
Here’s what I did to fix my mistake
- I wrote this post to help broadcast the error as well as share the valuable lessons I’ve learned.
- I updated the original post with the CORRECT information and added a disclaimer with my apologies.
- I sent an email to my email subscribers informing them of the updated post and my apologies.
From now on I will pay attention to the constructive criticism and IGNORE the haters
You got something to say? Say it professionally, with no personal attacks and I’ll be more than happy to listen. But if all you have is venom spewing forth from your mouth? You’re dead to me. Or you want to pick me apart, but do it anonymously? I give you ZERO credit.
The negative, hateful people will hold you back, make you question yourself, SQUASH your confidence. Make you feel like a loser.
So when haters attack- Screw ’em.
I’m done with them.