Natalie Sejean of Mentorless.com recently pointed me to Ann Friedman‘s Disapproval Matrix.

There are four quadrants: Critics, Lovers, Frenemies and Haters.

And two axes: Rational/Irrational and Know You/Don’t Know You.

“The general rule of thumb? When you receive negative feedback that falls into one of the top two quadrants—from experts or people who care about you who are engaging with and rationally critiquing your work—you should probably take their comments to heart. When you receive negative feedback that falls into the bottom two quadrants, you should just let it roll off your back and just keep doin’ what you’re doin’.”

My take: I love 2×2 matrices! As a visual learner, I love how a simple diagram can bring clarity to a complex concept.