8 Things to Consider when Receiving Criticism
- Jackie Vermeulen
- May 31, 2016
- 3 min read
Criticism stings. While it’s a necessary part of the workplace, criticism is sometimes hard to accept and ends up negatively impacting your day-to-day work or make you nervous to do those necessary tasks.
We’ve all been there.
Most criticism is helpful. And sometimes…well, sometimes it’s not. It can feel like an attack if not done correctly (for you). Besides, what does one person’s opinion matter anyways?
When receiving criticism here are a few things you should remember to do:
1. Consider the source.
Feedback is most often given by someone in a higher position than you. Sometimes it’s not. Think about your relationship with this person: do you trust their opinion is objective? Or is there something more personal that may be prompting an unjust observation of your work? If it may be the latter, take it with a grain of salt and a shot of tequila. (Just kidding, don’t do that last part unless necessary.)
2. Listen intently.
It’s easy to become defensive as soon as you realize someone is criticizing what you do, especially if you aren’t expecting it. But don’t put up your defenses quite yet. Take a deep breath and give the person a chance to explain.
3. Ask for examples.
The proof is in the tapioca pudding, and the only way you’re going to be able to improve is if you know in what situations you could have done something differently. Just saying you didn’t ace the presentation isn’t going to help you; you need to know why. Ask if it’s not explicitly explained.
4. Repeat what they said.
When you’re in this situation it’s easy to misunderstand or take the feedback more personally than the critic meant it. Repeating shows you understand it the way they wanted you too.
Thank the person. Whether or not you agree with what you heard, thank the person for their opinion. If the feedback was justifiable, you should be thankful for it; it may be just the thing you need to improve your career.
5. If you don’t agree, validate.
Ask a mentor or colleagues you trust and see if they would give you the same feedback. One person’s opinion does not define you, your work ethic, or your success, but multiple opinions can provide critical insights about your potential. And no, friends don’t count…especially when you’re complaining at the bar over that shot of tequila.
Try to complete a 360 eval. This is a survey you send out to people you work closely with—below, above, and even to your position—so you can get anonymous and honest feedback on your work. You can use a site like Survey Monkey to make it effortless for participants to answer and easy to collect the results.
6. Work on it.
Show (reputable) sources you heard what they had to say and work toward improving the areas they suggested.
7. Seek more feedback.
After you’ve had some time to work on the improvements, ask the criticizer to give you additional feedback on your work. Are you headed in the right direction? Is there something else you can be doing?
8. Grow from it.
There is always going to be something you can do better, so there will always be opportunities for someone to criticize you. Appreciate the feedback you get from people who deserve to give you feedback. And turn a cheek to those who might be trying to stir up drama or hurt your confidence—they could use some criticism of their own, or you know, a choice word, (but please don’t do that either).
Criticism is a pain in the tush… when you have a poor attitude about it. It’s a natural part of professional and personal environments. And when it’s your turn to be the one to give pass out feedback, remember what it was like to be on the opposite side.
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Jackie Vermeulen is the founder of The Career Mint. She is the messenger (put the gun down, you!), working closely with the mentors and some off-site experts to address the hard-hitting career topics in articles like the one you’re reading now.
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