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I have received tons of feedback through my blogging, tweeting, pinning on Pinterest, and posting on Facebook. Most of the feedback is positive, but every blue moon there will be an uncanny comment.

Since blogging and posting on these various social media mediums, I have been enlightened in many ways. One of the most important thing I’ve learned in life and these social media mediums confirmed it is, “You can’t please everyone.”

If you have read any of my tweets or blog posts, one of the primary reasons I write or post anything is to inspire or motivate by sharing knowledge.

When I first started tweeting, there was a man that disagreed with something I posted on Twitter. I don’t remember what he was disgruntled about because it was that petty. Despite his disagreement, the problem wasn’t him disagreeing with my tweet because there is nothing wrong with people having different opinions, thoughts, or ideas. The problem was the way he decided to disagree. He was hostile, obnoxious, disrespectful, and just plain rude to my readers and me.

This doesn’t just apply to blogging, tweeting pinning on Pinterest, and posting on Facebook. It applies to any aspect of your life, especially leadership.

First, I have to say there is a misconception about what it means to “please.” People think pleasing someone is “brown nosing.” Others feel pleasing is “kissing someone else’s butt.” Excuse my language. But both of these are completely wrong.

I don’t think there is anything wrong with “pleasing” people because pleasing means to make someone feel happy or good.

Leaders should seek to please their followers by making them feel happy or good, as long as it is not at the expense of their vision or the detriment of their followers. Making you followers feel happy or good is making your followers feel valued. If you are in business, you understand the importance of making your employees or customer feel valued. So don’t feel guilty about attempting to please people.

With all that said, even with the best intentions of encouraging people, there are 3 reasons why will never be able to please everyone.

1. It is impossible. One of the primary and obvious reasons why you will never please everyone is because it is impossible. You can try, but you will fail miserably. Some people will love you and your work, but someone else may dislike it for the same reason. There will even be times when people can’t explain why they dislike you and your work, but it won’t stop them from disliking you.

2. Everyone has an opinion. We have heard the phrase, “Everybody and their mother has an opinion.” It is true. There are some people willing to give you their opinion even when you don’t want it. Even worse, there are other people pushing opinions around without any commitment and personal connection to the opinion. I welcome questions about my views and thoughts about leadership, but it is really bad when someone challenges your views, commitments, and experience without any of their own.

3. We were created differently. If God wanted our world to be boring, he would have created everyone with the same views, emotions, and personalities. Matter fact, God created so uniquely that not one hair on our body is the same. He doesn’t even make us love Him. God is so into individuality, He gives the freedom to volitionally choose to love Him. The lesson we all are still trying to learn, God had already mastered it when he put Adam and Eve in the garden. Even with all the love of God surrounding Adam and Eve, they still choose to trust the snake over God. From then until now, God is still trying to please us fragile humans.

I want to leave you with a great quote from Herbert Swope:

“I cannot give you the formula for success, but I can give the formula for failure, which is: Try to please everybody.”

Question: Are you a people pleaser? How do you feel when you can’t please someone? Leave your comments below.

Peace and Prosperity,

Bryant Hall

MTN Universal, LLC