Handling Criticism
If you really want to get ahead, there is one skill that is crucial to master: The art of receiving criticism well. The sooner you can reframe criticism as feedback and treat it like any other input to your work, the better you will be able to profit from it.
Giving and receiving feedback is a skill that will make you stand out in the workplace, as it is not often talked about, or included in workplace training. But you can learn the seven steps to receiving negative feedback gracefully and constructively.
1 – Listen
The first thing to do when you receive negative feedback is not to react. Instead, listen to what is being said. Make sure you understand precisely what the person is saying by repeating it back to them. That way, you know you aren’t coming at it from a defensive stance. Continue reading
Sometimes your most brutal critics can be the people you love. Your parent, siblings, spouse, children-you know, the people who should be supporting you, right? Instead, you get the most unvarnished, unsweetened criticism about your clothes, your choice in partners, your job. Usually, in front of the rest of the family. So, what can you do when it feels like you’re putting yourself in front of a firing squad over family dinner?
Here are five things you can do to survive family criticism:
1 – Reframe Criticism as Caring
It can help to change your perspective on your family’s criticism. Maybe they don’t think you’re a terrible person or a failure. Perhaps they care enough about you to want the best for you. Sometimes worries or concern can come out as criticism even if the person didn’t mean it that way. Reframe those hurtful words as a sign that your family member really cares about you. Continue reading
