Should we answer critics or ignore them? Though critics should not be lumped in with fools too hastily, Proverbs 26:4-5 might be of some help in answering this question. Apparently, sometimes we should not answer fools, but sometimes we should. Given the number of leadership experts who say, “Never answer the critics because…” as well as the number who say, “You have to answer your critics because…,” I’m guessing that what’s true of fools is also true of critics in this case: sometimes we shouldn’t answer them, but sometimes we should.
Of course, we should listen to our critics first and weigh their criticism. But when listening to a critic reveals a consistent pattern of factual error (and more than a little evidence of malice), further listening is poor stewardship of our time. That narrows the options to “tuning out” or responding.
Public criticism over an extended period of time narrows the options even further. The likelihood increases that people unfamiliar with the facts will encounter accusations and believe them. Actual damage could occur.
Eventually the question is no longer if we should answer the critics but how to answer them without further empowering them—or perhaps, how to answer them in a way that empowers them less than not answering them! One good way might be to target falsehoods without specifically targeting their source.
So here goes. In most cases, these are criticisms that have been leveled publicly against SI or the team for many months, but some more recent accusations receive attention here as well. I’ll put them all in question form.read more
The long awaited 2010 Writing Contest restuls are in. There were numerous strong entries this year and we wish we could give awards for many more of them. Many thanks to all of you who contributed articles!
Per the announcement earlier this year, we narrowed the winners to three. Two of the three have already been published. The third is scheduled to post tomorrow.
Each winner will receive $125. If you have suggestions for next year’s contest, we’d be happy to hear them.
Our 2010 Writing Contest ended over a month ago. So some of you are probably wondering, when will the winners be announced? Well, this is not that announcement!
But it’s coming soon. Several excellent articles were submitted this year, and we’ve already posted a few of them. Our panel of volunteer judges is slowly narrowing the choices down to three winners. We should have the decision nailed down in a couple of weeks.
Meanwhile, our thanks to all of you who contributed pieces for the contest this year.
The 2009-2010 SI Reader Survey ended a few months ago. Much of the data confirmed what we already pretty much knew. But there are some surprises, too. What follows includes a sampling of both the expected and the surprising. For those who would like to look at the results in detail, the attached files provide a summary as well as several “crosstab” reports which group results under various headings.
The survey was divided into three major sections, which we loosely labeled Demographics, SharperIron and Views. 704 people took the survey; 643 of these completed it. While this is a smaller sample than I’d hoped, it’s large enough to be interesting.
Demographics
A little over half of those who took the survey were SI members, with the other two quarters divided about evenly between readers who were once members (but did not re-register in June of 2009 when the site migrated to new software), and readers who have never been been members.
Though it’s difficult to be sure how well that ratio reflects the SI readership as a whole, it’s certainly clear that we have a significant percentage of readers who are not members.
About a third of survey participants said they had been reading SI since it was launched in 2005.
A solid majority of those surveyed are between the ages of 24 and 55. They are almost evenly divided among three age groups, 25-34 year olds (27%), 35-44 year olds (25%) and 45-54 year olds (23%).
It’s that time again! SharperIron is inviting anyone with writing talent to submit an article for our 2nd annual Writing Contest. This year, we’ll be selecting up to three winning articles and awarding each a spot on the front page as well as $125. If you submit more than one article, you might even win more than once.read more
The 2009-2010 SharperIron Reader Survey closes at midnight Wednesday, February 10. If you haven’t yet taken the time to complete a survey, please do so today! Thanks!
Should we answer critics or ignore them? Though critics should not be lumped in with fools too hastily, Proverbs 26:4-5 might be of some help in answering this question. Apparently, sometimes we should not answer fools, but sometimes we should. Given the number of leadership experts who say, “Never answer the critics because…” as well as the number who say, “You have to answer your critics because…,” I’m guessing that what’s true of fools is also true of critics in this case: sometimes we shouldn’t answer them, but sometimes we should.
The long awaited 2010 Writing Contest restuls are in. There were numerous strong entries this year and we wish we could give awards for many more of them. Many thanks to all of you who contributed articles!
This year’s writing contest ends June 30 at midnight
The 2009-2010 SI Reader Survey ended a few months ago. Much of the data confirmed what we already pretty much knew. But there are some surprises, too. What follows includes a sampling of both the expected and the surprising. For those who would like to look at the results in detail, the attached files provide a summary as well as several “crosstab” reports which group results under various headings.
It’s that time again! SharperIron is inviting anyone with writing talent to submit an article for our 2nd annual Writing Contest. This year, we’ll be selecting up to three winning articles and awarding each a spot on the front page as well as $125. If you submit more than one article, you might even win more than once.
The 2009-2010 
