Handling Criticism

Receiving criticism is not easy. It can take us by surprise or disappoint us. Perhaps you have been working hard on a piece of work and thought that it was well done only to send it to your manager, who finds fault with it.

If not handled properly, criticism can result in aggression, ill-feeling and stress. It does not have to be like this. View criticism as an opportunity to grow.

There are two broad types of criticism – destructive criticism and constructive criticism. Destructive criticism is simply a way of identifying faults or weaknesses. It offers the recipient little opportunity to improve. An example would be a school teacher who, on having marked a pupil’s essay, returns it with a comment saying ‘poor’ or ‘not your best work’. It highlights problems but does not provide specific details or suggestions for improvement.

Destructive criticism can be used to cause upset or to humiliate people e.g. telling people they are ‘useless’ or ‘no good’ at something. The impact of such criticism is to destroy people’s confidence and damage their self-esteem. It can have a detrimental effect on people’s lives.

Constructive criticism is far more positive. It involves identifying a problem but also offering positive ways in which to address it. This includes providing detailed criticism of a piece of work but also providing useful advice on how it could be improved.

Destructive criticism serves to put people down, whereas constructive criticism aims to build people up. If done properly, constructive criticism can help engender trust between people.

In the workplace, we should all endeavour to provide constructive criticism rather than destructive criticism.

None of us is perfect and we will all be faced with criticism from others at some point during our lives. This criticism may relate to our work or our behaviour. How we respond to criticism is the most important factor.

If the criticism is verbal, take the time to listen to what the other person is saying before responding. If the criticism is written, read and re-read the comments and make sure you understand what the person is trying to communicate. Respond to criticism in a sincere manner. If necessary, ask your critic to explain their comments and suggest how you could improve something.

The way that the criticism is made can affect the reaction to it. If it comes across as aggressive or patronising, we are less likely to react positively. However, it is necessary to look beyond the tone of the criticism and deal with its root cause.

Think about things other people have said about you or your work. Are any of the criticisms similar? If so, there may be a problem you hadn’t picked up on.

Just because someone has criticised something you have done this does not mean that they do not like you. It is not necessarily a personal attack. If you view it as such, you may become overly defensive.

Do not overreact or respond to criticism too quickly. Emotions can get in the way of behaving rationally. If there is validity in the criticism you need to find it, reflect on it and respond accordingly. This is harder to do if the criticism is being made face to face, but it is important to remain calm and not get emotional.

If you respond angrily to someone’s comments, you may risk damaging your relationship with them and also your professional reputation. Always try to ensure that there are no hard feelings or hostility between you and your critic. Don’t hold a grudge and try to seek revenge.

There may be times when you consider the criticism to be unjustified and, on reflection, decide to maintain your stance. In these cases, you should be prepared to reject the criticism in a rational manner, and you should be able to justify your actions or position accordingly.

However, if you recognise and understand a fault or problem, make an effort to rectify it. Knowing your strengths and weaknesses can help you improve. Modify your work or behaviour as best you can and learn from the experience.