Would They Burn Your Jersey?

So you have customers, even fans. You have a tribe of devotees who appreciate your work and follow you. But how much passion are you really creating?
The recent mania over where basketball superstar LeBron James would sign reminds of the hysteria the first time he made his decision and went from Cleveland to Miami. They were tearing down his posters and burning his jerseys. Probably you want to never be reviled and despised like that.
But maybe you should...
The reason LeBron creates such vehement reactions both positive and negative is because he's the best basketball player in the world. People love him and others love to hate him. That means he matters. He's relevant. He's doing amazing things.
Athletes change sports teams all the time. If they're mediocre, no one cares. If they're good, fans get upset. If they're great, people are passionate enough to burn their jerseys, hire sky writers, or some other public act to show their anguish and agony.
If you want to be a thought leader, market leader, or change the world - you have to give up the need to be liked. Telling people what they want to hear makes you popular. Telling people what they need to hear makes you relevant, empowering, and significant.
I was talking with Alan Weiss recently, and we concluded that if someone doesn't un-friend us on Facebook or un-follow us on Twitter every day - we're probably not doing our jobs.
Don't pander to the masses. Speak to the people you really want to reach and be honest. Challenge them to do more and become better. And know that if you're not attracting some haters - you're probably not doing something significant.
So that leads us to the most important question for you...
Would they burn your jersey?