People who get things right sometimes listen a lot and change their ideas. They wake up to put something right that might have been mislaid earlier in the day. If you're looking to be right more often than not, you should probably consider changing your mind more often. People who are right a lot want others to confirm their views - perhaps once too often!

It is important to listen to criticism, but it is important that you don't let anybody tell you what you aren't, who you are. By listening and accepting criticism we don't allow others to define us.

Bezos encourages a balanced view of criticism. Yes, listen and be open to change.  By doing so, you put yourself in a position where you can actually take that feedback and use it to improve - which is the ultimate goal. At the same time, it's important not to get too down on yourself when others are being critical of your work or personality. 

Criticism can be a crude form of diamond or just fool's gold. It all depends on how it's used and the processes you have in place to handle it wisely.

Apple CEO Tim Cook gave a speech at the end of last year, in which he declared that fighting for privacy and speaking out on the issue of personal data collection is becoming increasingly important. This speech seemed to be a direct response to Facebook's attack on Apple, in which the world's largest social network took out full-page ads in several newspapers attacking Apple's new privacy changes.

Apple's move signaled major lessons for entrepreneurs and business owners, including the need to ask yourself:

Which principles do I want to pursue? 

Do I want a business that serves my customers? Or one that takes advantage of customers to serve my business?

Only one of these philosophies is sustainable for the long-term. The other will lead you to crash and burn. And while the long-term solution may initially prove more challenging, as Cook put it in his speech:

"The path of least resistance is rarely the path of wisdom."

As the CEO of Google and Alphabet, Sundar Pichai's responsibility is to make sure his companies continue moving forward and keep up with demand from the company's users around the globe.It is one of the toughest jobs to pull off. 

But earlier this year, Pichai shared with a quote that he learned from his mentor, former Columbia University football coach turned business coach Bill Campbell. Whenever they met, says Pichai, Campbell would ask him:"What ties did you break this week?" He was teaching Pichai how an entrepreneur should achieve breakthroughs immediately.

If you are a business owner or an entrepreneur, Prioritize those you want to please, Pursue progress, not perfection. See the big picture

Because leadership is moving things forward.

When a Customer Starts Taking Over Your Life?What happens when a client starts to demand much more than what's reasonable? 

That's the question small business owner Larionne Mariah found herself faced with. Her client started berating her for taking too long to respond to messages. When Mariah said her fee didn't include 24/7 monitoring of her messages, the client demanded "full attention."

Her response? She refunded the client's fee, and recommended moving on with another designer.

As an entrepreneur or business owner, you may find it difficult to strike that balance between work and life. Not to mention the pandemic has further blurred those lines for many.

If you don't set boundaries, you put yourself on a path to burnout. In contrast, setting and communicating expectations can save your business--and your mental health.

A CEO Listens to His Critics and Corrects Course. 

When Sweetgreen CEO, Jonathan Neman talked about the  issues surrounding systemic health care, he didn't expect his comments to go viral. And he for sure didn't imagine what he said would be considered controversial.

Make sure you prioritize what's important in life. Then, don't obsess over the fact that you simply can't please everyone all of the time. Sometimes saying no and turning down opportunity is the best thing you can do to further your goals and maintain a healthy work-life balance.