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Five Tips To Help You Handle Criticism And Become A Better Professional

This article is more than 7 years old.

Risk-averse, conflict-avoidant, people-pleaser – though a description of many in today's workforce, these characteristics can be detrimental to true innovation, where failure, criticism and defending an idea may be necessary. Although these traits may be default when young and new to the workforce, adhering to these characteristics may create a lack of experience for millennials – the lack of criticism.

Being criticized is not easy, especially when you are young. Learning to handle criticism wisely and appropriately can take years, and unfortunately, it can take getting it wrong before you get it right. Though it can be uncomfortable, young professionals must remember that you can’t foster a successful career or startup company by pleasing everyone. There will be critics, and the best thing you can do is learn how to handle criticism with tact – the answer isn't avoiding what is necessary to your personal and processional growth. Here are five ways to handle criticism appropriately:

  1. Consider perspective

    It can be easy to assume that everyone possesses the same worldview or situational perspective as you. Avoid this thinking and remember the workforce is diverse, just as the people in it. We’ve all had unique experiences in our personal and professional lives that comprise our uniqueness and diverse point of view. When you are criticized, let diversity be a positive thing. This will help you understand why someone may disagree with your perspective, and will help you determine if you need to adjust for diversity of thought in the future.

  2. Remember to stay calm

    When you get worked up over criticism, you stop thinking out of logic and reasoning and start thinking out of emotion. To ensure you process situations appropriately, you must stay calm, cool and collected. Handling criticism isn’t easy, but getting overly worked up isn’t the answer. If you get too worked up and try to prematurely fix a situation before processing it, you could complicate a situation and damage valuable opportunities to learn and grow. When in doubt, walk away, process the situation, and respond when your demeanor is calm.

  1. Take some, leave some

    This strategy is not new, but it’s absolutely necessary - not all criticism is worth your time and energy. In every opportunity, through a true evaluation, take what you need and what will help you grow and leave the rest. By leaving the criticism that is inaccurate, unhelpful or made with ill-intent, you can move on faster with a clear head and focus on other opportunities to foster and improve your professionalism.

  1. Positive intent

    An expert in wellness at Mayo Clinic , Dr. Amit Sood, has said, “Assume positive intent.” Though human nature may default us to believe the critic has negative intentions in mind, we can reframe our perception by assuming someone made a comment with positive intent. This will help avoid allowing negative feelings toward coworkers, supervisors or clients to fester, which helps keep you in a positive mindset to grow, learn, and be the best professional you can be.

  1. Be honest with yourself

    Winston Churchill once said, “Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfills the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things.” Of all the things you can do to handle feedback and criticism in a way that will foster professional growth, the most important is being honest with yourself. Though not all criticism should be taken to heart, honest, regular evaluations with yourself will help you grow in your career. An article in Harvard Business Review suggests keeping a journal as a way to foster leadership by reflecting on feedback and lessons learned. Whether it be this strategy or another that works for you, it is important to routinely evaluate your character, leadership, and performance. The more honest you are with yourself, the better leader you’ll become.

The next time you are criticized, try your hardest not to be upset. Remember that every ounce of feedback you receive – whether you take it to heart or not – compiles the stories of your professional journey. When you look back on all you have learned, you will appreciate the criticism and the accolades equally, knowing that all feedback, when acted on appropriately, leads to better professionalism and leadership.