Criticism Part One: Taking It

A Note to Minions:

It’s innate for most of us – when someone says we did something incorrectly or not to their liking or when a deadline was missed or a mess was made, our stomachs tighten, our fists clench, and our inner two year old goes “NOT FAIR, I DIDN’T DO IT, MY CO-WORKER MESSED THAT PART UP…”

We do this because we internalize the mistake as a flaw to our character, and to point out that we made a mistake [obviously] means that our character, our personal self, is being chastised. 

This mindset not only hinders, but keeps you from doing well at your job. 

Teaching yourself a new response is critical and takes a little preparation.  For example, if a supervisor tells you you’ve been a little slow to respond to tasks, remember, they are not saying you’re a terrible, lazy, flawed person.  They’re actually just remarking on some improvements that need made. 

Some responses that are handy to have on hand are, “you’re right, I was getting behind”, “please email me your requests so I can keep track of them”, and most importantly, “it won’t happen again”.

These responses are helpful because (a) they acknowledge you can take responsibility and (b) they provide reassurance that you can handle your tasks and (c) they eliminate the need for an argument or defense mechanism to kick in.

Part Two will focus on how to stand your ground.

A Note to Supervisors:

Without fault, the majority of what you say to your staff involves you giving instruction or critique.

In order for your staff to grow from critique, the criticism must be succinct, recent, and relevant.  

These next few posts will elaborate on examples of providing useful critique as well as knowing when to hold ‘em.