There is no one who has not swallowed the bitter pill known as ‘criticism’. Whether given privately or in front of your colleagues, criticism can wreak havoc on your productivity if not taken in the right stride.
No matter where you are in your career, criticism can be very much a part of your life. Even if you are well known in your field, criticism still doesn’t spare you. Fame offers little protection against it. It rather, brings your mistakes under public scrutiny, so to speak.
They say, Karma is a bitch, but so is criticism. It spares no one.
Social media further adds fuel to the fire. Recently, people trolled Shahrukh Khan’s Zero because they didn’t like it, ignoring the amount of hard work that might have gone into the making of the movie. Social media rarely appreciated the efforts if something fails. Even Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of the top social networking site Facebook, has been facing the backlash from the public on its own social network.
Given the fact that nobody can escape criticism, how to deal with it and come out stronger and more successful?
Know Your Critics
The first and foremost things to remember is that not every critic is worthy of your attention. Some criticize you out of jealousy and trying to pull you down, others do it for sadistic pleasure. There is a handful of those who are just too negative about everything that they can hardly make any positive comment. But the true critic is the one whose criticism helps you to improve yourself. These are rare gems, always presenting you with constructive feedback. They also lack the need to please everyone and hence are able to give their feedbacks without holding anything out. Unlike most of the critics, they are not jealous or sadists, ready to pull you down with them.
Don’t Take It Personally
More often than not, we tend to disregard the opinions of those who do not appreciate us. What it does is hinder our growth game. The best kind of leaders is those who learn from their mistakes. But this process can’t happen in isolation. Something we are so involved in our work, that we can’t see it’s drawbacks or loopholes. At such times, we need outside opinions. Make it a habit to inculcate constructive feedbacks a part of your professional life.
Show Gratitude
It doesn’t cost anything to say ‘Thank You’. No matter how tough the feedback, no matter how hard it is to hear, never forgot to show gratitude. This way, you would not only encourage people to give you constructive feedback but also stop sadistic people from getting the pleasure of bogging you down by criticism. Learn to surprise people with your humbleness.
By following these golden rules, you would be able to deal with criticism in a much better way and carve a new path for your growth. You would even be more respected for your attitude.
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