How to Deal with Constructive Criticism?

We love being right. We love it even more when we’re right all the time. Being right gives us a sense of meaning. It validates our efforts and gives us those feel-good hormones that make everything leading up to that point so worth it.

The real world, unfortunately, doesn’t work like that. You’ll find yourself in many situations where being right at the expense of being accurate or credible is a liability.

In the real world, you’re under constant scrutiny by co-workers, your loved ones, your friends, and even other people. It’s obvious that your idea of what is ‘“right” will get criticised and dissected to hell and back.

The first lesson to learn here is that some forms of criticism are actually for your benefit. Constructive criticism, in particular, can open up many “hidden” flaws in your personality or gaps in your job performance.

Constructive criticism usually comes from someone privy to your situation in a given context. The person telling you to do so and so in a different way is usually unbiased and quite objective in stating the facts.

Otherwise, it’s criticism from someone who doesn’t know you well or doesn’t understand your circumstances, in which case it’s best to ignore them.

The one thing in common between constructive criticism and criticism in general is that it’s hard to handle. People snap when their opinions, ideas, and abilities are questioned or put to the test. This is where this article comes in handy.

We’re going to discuss the best ways to deal with constructive criticism and come out better than before. Here we go!

1. Improves Team Collaboration:

Working in a team environment is challenging because you’re exposed to many different viewpoints, thought processes, and conflicting egos. Navigating your way through such interactions when receiving and giving constructive criticism is a skill in its own right.

You might not believe it at first, but constructive criticism can build deeper bonds between teams in the workplace. Difficult conversations are the best way to lay everything out in the open.

It encourages honesty and accurate completion of day-to-day responsibilities. There are whole guides on how to give and receive constructive criticism in the workplace. They all focus on the following:

1.1. Use “I” Statements:

This one is effective because it puts the attention on you, the speaker, instead of the listener. By using “I” statements, you’re sharing your thoughts and opinions in a way that doesn’t put the blame on anyone. It takes the pressure off other people, and if you ever find yourself on the receiving end of it, now you have a clue about what constitutes constructive criticism.

1.2. Drop the “Feedback Sandwich”:

If this term is new to you, it’s probably for the best. The “Feedback Sandwich” method of constructive criticism goes like this: begin with a positive comment, give constructive criticism, and finish with another positive comment. Since you’re putting the actual helpful feedback in the middle, this is NOT an effective method of providing constructive criticism. Stick to being direct instead.

1.3. Recommend Actionable Steps:

The workplace is a fast-paced environment where not doing the right thing can result in hurting the entire company, not just teams. That’s why your constructive criticism should make its way towards providing actionable steps that employees can take to improve.

These should help get you started if you ever find yourself managing a team or being a member of one.

2. Stay Objective:

The reason why constructive criticism works is that it’s detached from bias and personal feelings. If your constructive criticism is muddied by emotion or preconceived notions, it’s not going to help much.

In fact, it might hurt the other person by giving them a false sense of achievement or simply coming off as harsh criticism.

What you should do is sit down and have a normal conversation with the other person. Being casual is a great primer for slowly transitioning to the topic of giving and receiving criticism.

Notice how we said it both ways. You, the listener, should also do your best to remain completely objective when hearing facts from the other party. Your attention should be directed towards extracting benefits from whatever constructive criticism you hear.

Remember, it’s not always about you but rather about what you do or are doing, so don’t take anything personally.

3. Partake In The Conversation:

When you’re required to attend a meeting focused on reviewing the quality of your work every month, it’s best to go in with the mindset that you have something interesting to add.

This will immediately take pressure off of you when you sit down and listen to other people talk. It’s now possible to actually listen and add your input when appropriate.

You’ll probably come out having learned something new and earning bonus points for acting like a professional, something you should always strive to do.

Some good ways to share your thoughts in such instances are:

• Asking questions.
• Sharing your viewpoints.
• Clarify ideas.
• Suggest new ideas.

Constructive criticism will start to feel more like an engaging activity instead of something you’re not comfortable doing.

4. Finish Off With A Thank You:

A great way to get your brain used to thinking about constructive criticism every time you’re exposed to it is to thank the other party.

Look the person in the eye and thank them for taking the time to help you improve. Again, it’s important to stay objective when doing this.

You’re not necessarily agreeing with the feedback but rather expressing gratitude for the effort exerted. Don’t show any passive-aggressive behaviour when they’re talking to you.

5. Be Active, Not Reactive:

This has to do with the very first reaction to hearing constructive criticism. Usually, you’re going to feel horrible about it and might want to shout or scream at the other person. Don’t do it.

Once you get past this initial stage, it’s easy to calm yourself and start listening to everything. The idea here is to be an active listener, not a reactive one.

Reacting without paying attention is bad on all fronts, but when you take a more active approach, you’re able to maintain a positive attitude and learn from constructive criticism.

6. Request Future Feedback:

It probably won’t be your first or last feedback session. You’ll have to do all of that again and again.

One way to show initiative and teach yourself to accept constructive criticism is by asking for additional feedback sessions in the future.

It’s a great way to shore up any weaknesses you have, and it also leaves a good impression.

In Conclusion:

No one likes criticism. That’s a given. However, not all criticism is equal. Constructive criticism can help you improve in different aspects of your professional and personal lives.

It feels impossible to train your mind to look past the initial reaction of hearing criticism, but once you get used to it, you’ll look forward to such interactions instead of feeling scared or embarrassed.

It all starts with you, and sometimes with understanding other people if you’re in a team environment.

Without receiving feedback about what you’re doing, it won’t be possible to make constant improvements and achieve greater things.