A.8. Success On The Job - How To Deal with Important Criticism

HOW TO DEAL WITH IMPORTANT CRITICISM

When you get important criticism, you want to know how to get the best out of it. Useful criticism is one of the best ways to make yourself into a better person. Follow these steps to get the most out of useful criticism.

1. Ask For Feedback

Find out exactly what others object to about you. If someone tells you "You are bad," that's not good enough. Find out exactly why that person thinks that way. Be very persisent--find out why the other person feels the way he does. Vague criticism is worthless to you.

2. Guess At Reason

If a person refuses to give you reasons for criticizing you, keep guessing at your faults until you get the right one. This may be the only way to find out what displeases the other person.

3. Don't Be Defensive

If you act defensively, you may not be able to benefit from useful criticism. Don't be sarcastic or intimidate the other person. You want to learn how to become a better person from the criticism.

Ask the person how you can change your objectionable behavior; be open to reasonable suggestions.