8 Insights Into Handling Criticism: Charles Spurgeon

No one likes criticism but it is a part of the package for any leader. This week's post comes from this book. I would love hear the positive ways you handle and respond to criticism in the comments below or on Facebook and Twitter.

Public men must expect public criticism.
—Charles Spurgeon

Part of the leadership package is facing criticism. Stand in front of people, and they will find fault. Nobody surrenders his or her direction in life to another without an opinion. The leader must be reconciled to the fact that, at least at some stage, this is the life of a leader. We cannot afford to become so sensitive to criticism that it overwhelms us. This has caused the destruction of many good leaders.

It is difficult to find a training course that teaches us how to cope with criticism, yet this is probably one of the most perplexing things to deal with, especially when it’s public. Living for Christ is often harder than dying for Him. The media today has learned the art of assassinating people’s characters while leaving them alive. In the pursuit of ratings, in the pursuit of another scoop, in the drive to expose another scandal, great effort goes into smearing the reputations of people who are sometimes innocent.

As Dale Carnegie has said,

Any fool can criticise, condemn, and complain—and most fools do—but it takes character and self-control to be understanding and forgiving.

Of the material I’ve read on this matter, I have found Charles Spurgeon to have some of the most prudent counsel for us regarding how to handle criticism. The following eight points cover his teaching on the subject: 

1. You Must Be Able To Bear Criticism

“You must be able to bear criticism, or you are not fit to be at the head of the congregation; and you must let the critic go without reckoning him among your deadly foes, or you will prove yourself a mere weakling.” 


2. Expect Criticism

“Public men must expect public criticism.” 


3. Speaking The Truth Isn't Popular

“We cannot expect those to approve of us whom we condemn by our testimony against their favourite sins.” 


4. A Friend's Correction Can Be Helpful

“A sensible friend who will unsparingly criticise you from week to week will be a far greater blessing to you than a thousand indiscriminating admirers, if you have sense enough to bear his treatment and grace enough to be thankful for it.” 


5. The Truth Will Outlast Any Lie That Has Been Told

“In almost all cases, it is the wisest course to let such things die a natural death. A great lie, if unnoticed, is like a big fish out of water—it dashes and plunges and beats itself to death in a short time.” 


6. Live Above Reproach

“Your blameless life will be your best defense.” 


7. Don't Get Caught Up In The Fight

“Abstain from fighting your own battles, and in nine cases out of ten, your accusers will gain nothing by their malevolence but chagrin for themselves and contempt from others. To prosecute the slanderer is very seldom wise.” 


8. Trust God With Your Reputation

“Our best course is to defend our innocence by our silence and leave our reputation with God. Yet there are exceptions to this general rule. When distinct, definite, public charges are made against a man, he is bound to answer them, and answer them in the clearest and most open manner.”

Leaders discover the “secret place” in God where they 
can flee when the tongues of evil people wag against them. This refuge is the place where I privately and deeply know the truth and can rest before God, aware that He knows, too. This awareness is also the realization that truth always surfaces eventually. There is always justice—if not now, then later. To know quietly that you have done no wrong and are yet accused wrongly is a powerful place to stay. Don’t rush to defend yourself. Silence can be the loudest proclamation of innocence.

Thanks for reading, hope this helped. If you're in Sydney, I would love to invite you to our Vision Builders dinner at the Royal Hall Of Industries on Friday June 19th. You can find out more here.