There are those types of people who feel it is their job to be very critical of what others do and also feel that they must verbalize it. When I come across someone who is like this I often wonder what has caused them to be this way, was it a hard parent who was always critical of them? Do they feel superior to others? Or are they really suffering from low self-esteem? Whatever the reason when you are on the receiving end of someone criticism of you or your work, it can be shocking, hurtful and make you very angry. As we know there is good, corrective criticism and not good criticism, the kind that is done to be hurtful, but the steps to handling both of them are the same. Here are six good steps to learn and put into action the next time you encounter criticism at work.
1. Remain calm, now this can be hard especially if you are taken by surprise. By remaining calm you are defusing any escalation of the situation to go further than it needs to. You are also able to think clearer. Keep good eye contact and really try to listen to what is being said and let the person finish before you speak. 2. Once they have finished, acknowledge that you have heard them. I like to “thank”them for what they have said whether it is good criticism or bad because the reason being if it is good criticism and I can learn from it great, if it is just someone being critical and there is no value than by thanking them I can be done with it and not take it any further. 3. There are critical people, but there are also people we work with that need to give criticism and they may be good at it or they may not be, so make sure you follow “step 4 below before you react.” 4. Take time to think about what was said, let your mind filter the comment. Usually we see things differently once we are fully able to process it, as I said above if there is something worthwhile in the criticism you do really want to find what it is, especially if it is about your work. If you react immediately because of emotion you may make the more of the situation than what was intended. 5. Take good criticism to heart and view it as a learning experience. Take any of the “sharp edges” off what was said and look at what it was about and how you can change and make it positive for you and what you need to know that you did not know before. It is about finding the value, I call it the “chicken and bones time” This is where you dissect what was said eat the meat (value) and throw away the bones (the initial bite of the criticism). 6. After following the above steps you will by now be able to apply the criticism in a positive way to your work realizing the value of it.
These six steps sound very easy, but we all know that it is very hard when we face criticism, but if you follow these steps you will be able to handle it in a much better way. Now if you realize that the criticism that you encountered is the “Bad, negative” type by following these steps you will be able to let it go quicker realizing that there is no value in the criticism and move along. It is hard to work with critical people whether they are co-workers or your employer, learning how to rise above these types of people takes a lot of work and a positive attitude and can be done, but I think that is another blog post all together. One thing you can remember when dealing with criticism is that old saying “when you are given lemons, make lemonade.” Rise above it and find the positive.
3-5-13
Comments