2 tips for better accepting constructive criticism at work

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Responding to comments gracefully is a valuable skill that can put you on the map at work.

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No one likes being told they need to improve. It can be hard to hear that, despite your best efforts, your job performance isn’t where it should be. In addition to feeling demoralized and hurt, it often makes us angry with the person giving the feedback.

While all of this is understandable (and normal), what sets a true professional apart is their ability to recognize and value feedback as an essential part of career growth. In fact, some of the most successful employees don’t just gracefully handle constructive criticism, they thrive on it. Most importantly, they understand the positive subtext behind feedback that someone pays attention to their work and wants to see them improve.

Here are two ways to use negative feedback as career fuel.

#1. Reframe your attitude towards comments

According to a study published in the Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, employee feedback orientation, or their receptivity to feedback, plays an important role in the effectiveness of the feedback process.

The study showed that if we are willing to seek feedback and act on it, we are more likely to:

Finding meaning in what we do Feeling competent in the tasks we perform Finding the motivation we need to excel at work

In contrast, when we view feedback as an inevitable, high-pressure event, we are likely to fall into a vicious cycle that can hold us back at work. Indeed, people who lack the ability to hear constructive criticism struggle to find meaning in what they do and feel less competent at work after receiving feedback, in addition to losing motivation. to improve in their tasks.

One of the best ways to reframe your attitude toward comments is to understand why they’re necessary. Here are three obvious ones:

It offers a window into your strengths and weaknesses. It offers the opportunity to show your peers or bosses that you have a growth mindset. It offers you a chance to be objective and evaluate yourself as you would a peer #2. Understand your emotional reaction to negative comments, then move past them

The mistake many of us make when receiving feedback is that we only take away the emotional experience of receiving it.

Generally, the initial jolt of receiving constructive criticism is similar to what we feel when we experience social rejection.

No matter where we are in the corporate structure, we all seek approval from our peers and our bosses. According to a survey conducted by InnovateMR in 2021, 65% of the workforce today struggles with self-doubt at work. Another recent survey conducted by Moneypenny found that 41% of VPs in the US workforce today believe they are underqualified for their role.

Hearing that we are not performing well enough can trigger a state of low self-esteem and compromised security. What follows is a mixture of negative emotions such as embarrassment, shame, pain and shock.

While many of us can remain stuck in this mental state for long periods of time, a true professional understands that the emotional reaction is not the intended effect of the feedback session. They begin to process the feedback that has been provided in a pragmatic way.

Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of how to handle feedback gracefully:

Listen to feedback, but detach from the work. Try to imagine that the feedback is given to someone who is not you. Although it may be difficult at first, over time detaching yourself from your work performance will come more naturally. Calmly assess the validity of comments. Feedback is often based on someone else’s subjective experience of your performance. If you disagree, write it down so you can understand why they felt the way they did, preferably after the feedback session when it’s no longer an instant reaction . If you agree with the comments, rate that as well. Either way, you’ll learn something about how your job is perceived. Reiterate the points raised during the feedback session. It is an effective way to reinforce the core message of the feedback and goes a long way to ensuring that the person providing the feedback feels heard and understood. This in turn will show them that you are receptive to coaching. Ask for some time to reflect on the central message of the feedback. This is when you can rationally and calmly unpack the talking points from the feedback session and formulate a plan to improve in areas you may be lacking. Ask for a post-feedback meeting. In addition to giving you the opportunity to respond to any points you may have deemed incorrect, take this time to communicate your plan for improvement. This way you hold yourself accountable to yourself and to the person who provided the feedback. Conclusion

Receiving negative feedback is an essential skill for personal growth. However, it can be difficult to manage in practice due to its critical nature. By staying focused on the facts rather than getting carried away by the emotions associated with criticism, we can learn to take feedback constructively and use it as an opportunity for self-improvement rather than letting it get us down. With practice, learning to handle negative feedback gracefully will become second nature.

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