How do you balance your vision with audience expectations?

Knowing your audience is as simple (and complicated) as strengthening the incredibly valuable skill of being a good listener. When do people say, "I like your work!" to you? What kinds of patterns can you find within the compliments you receive? I've worked with lots of creatives, but none like the people I see with their heads down and focused on their creative work—prepared to appreciate a great compliment. I am inspired by my colleagues who grew into new opportunities this way. As a good listener, you can understand what resonates with others. It comes with a bonus, too: You'll be able to spot when the compliments aren't so, well, valuable to you. So the next time you're struggling with an audience, consider listening.

Think of "defining your version of success" as an investment you make in your health and well-being. Let's get this out of the way: You, and only you, can define your vision. What someone else considers the "right balance" of personally gratifying and professionally successful is entirely up to them. OK, so that's the bad news, at least for some—we all need to set our personal standards. It's not easy, but it is incredibly effective and it will make defining your vision easier over time. You can do this. Where should you begin? Start with what you know. Some people know what they want. Others know what they don't want. For me, I like to make collections of work, art, and objects I love. Then I start to organize them like I would a closet.

As a young person, I felt that my interests wouldn't make much sense on paper. I didn't see many people like me in the media or literature. For lots of people, this is also the case. The first person who needs to know about your vision is yourself. Putting ego aside, and acknowledging that we all have many things to learn from each other, you still need to be grounded in yourself. If you can't see yourself in your vision, it will make it difficult for others to. Communicate your vision to yourself first. Find examples in your own life of what you want, track them, and find others who enjoy those things, too. Then communicate to them. Congratulations! You've successfully communicated your vision. Now you can begin to refine it.

It's thrilling to be part of a community or workplace where you receive valuable feedback and can be inspired by the work of others. In one news organization, I saw a colleague who kept up an impressively large indoor garden at the office. It provided a new perspective on our office culture and an opportunity to connect our work with knowing what it takes to grow a plant over time, season to season, between desks. Your goals can show up as a plant on your desk, reaching out to a new colleague to propose a project, or attending a new conference. Here's a fun test: Attend a meeting you tend to avoid and take notes on where you see room for growth. You might learn something about yourself. Experimentation is everywhere you look for it.

We all know the difference between showing sympathy for a friend and expressing empathy. We would never want our loved ones to feel like we "felt bad" for them when they asked us for support. So why do so many organizations treat their customers, readers, subscribers, and audiences sympathetically and not empathetically? For me, it comes down to having a bit of professional courage. Without empathy, you won't be able to adapt to your audience's needs in an effective way. Campaign messaging will fall flat, and subscribers will be disappointed. Readers will see through veneers of superficial effort. So develop empathy for your audiences. Show and express appreciation. This groundwork is necessary to build loyalty. And loyalty is priceless.

What is balance? Take stock of your needs, wants, and aspirational goals (in your personal and professional life). Put them on little cards or notes if that helps. Is there a balance to be made here? If the answer is no, you're in good company. There is no such thing as balance. There should never be a question of whether you deserve what you need. Of course you do. And your needs should never conflict with your goals and aspirations. Consider that the question of balance derives from a limitation of resources and time (two things we can't control). In my experience, this is the hardest work: Acknowledging that balance will never exists because what is required to have it is out of my control. Soberly, I then assess what I do control.