It’s not easy to accept constructive criticism in the workplace without feeling negative about your performance or the person who has given you the feedback. When we feel threatened and work, it often causes us to feel targeted or even reach for our fight or flight response.
In the heat of the moment, many of us can react offensively, but valuing the constructive criticism that you receive can be important to growing as an employee and a person.
Here are some top tips on how you can take feedback more positively in the workplace:
Fight against your Defensive tendencies:
When you know that somebody is approaching you for some criticism, try not to react immediately. You have a one-second think, and you could stop your reaction. A negative reaction to somebody approaching you with feedback may seem somewhat insignificant, but staying calm can make a world of difference for improving your relationship with that person.
A quick mistake with a facial expression or a quick quip back to them could have you butting heads.
Assume a person is giving feedback with good intentions:
If you are the type of person that regularly feels targeted when a coworker provides you with feedback, give them the benefit of the doubt. Remember that the average coworker is not coming to threaten your job or threaten some punitive action against you. They are only working to help you get better at your job or to do something more efficiently.
People who approach at work with feedback often come to you with good intentions, and getting defensive could lead to problems with your working relationships. You could burn a bridge with a coworker over them, giving you some great advice.
If we feel targeted, you can get stuck in a cycle of feeling depressed about your work and feel that you are not good enough. Remember that you are worthy, and there is no reason to feel depressed if you are given a small amount of bad feedback on your work.
Refocus your thinking:
If you have been phoning things in your job for several years, you need to accept that a coworker may come to you with some feedback on your job performance.
If you’re able to refocus your thinking and have confidence in your work, knowing that you are trying your best, you can meet feedback as a challenge to improve for the future. It’s not easy to refocus this thinking, but when you go into your workplace, feel like you can give it your all each day.
You can make sure that you will be able to maintain better relationships, and you will likely receive less negative feedback because people will see that you are showing an effort.
Don’t expect praise and appreciation:
Many people are very rewards and praise driven. These are the types of people who will not go the extra mile unless given some praise. If you are the type of person that regularly expects appreciation and praise at your work, there is a chance that you might end up skirting by doing the bare minimum until someone praises you for doing something extra.
Most of the time, in the workplace, you will not be rewarded for just doing your job. There’s no reason you expect ongoing praise and appreciation just for filling your job description. This doesn’t mandate that your coworkers need to provide you with constant appreciation, either.
Appreciate the feedback:
Saying thank you and appreciate the time that somebody took to share their thoughts can be a meaningful expression after somebody has come to you with some feedback.
If they are ultimately trying to make your job better or improve your abilities, it should be appreciated and acknowledged. Negative feedback is often coming from somebody that wants to see you improve and grow.
Someone noticing you in the workplace does not have to have a negative connotation, and it can certainly be appreciated and deconstructed so you can find harmony and improvements.
Be sure to follow these tips if you would like to take feedback at work in a more positive light.