FIVE TIPS FOR DEALING WITH NEGATIVE FEEDBACK

Everyone who has been employed has had to deal with negative feedback or rejection.  Because we tend to merge our identities with our career, it can be a personal blow to our self-esteem when we are criticized at work.  Whether it’s a job rejection, poor performance appraisal, or office gossip, it doesn’t usually bring out our best side. 

I have to admit, I’ve never been a particularly organized person.  I’ve been to so many classes that I could teach one.  These issues have followed me from school to work – never going unnoticed.  At one point, the work FEEDBACK would make me break out in a cold sweat. 

Luckily, I was given the opportunity to prove myself.  With an amazing assistant to keep me on track, I was able to excel.  However, if I had let the negative feedback get to me, I wouldn’t have been given an opportunity to shine.  So what do you do when confronted with criticism you don’t really want to hear?  Follow the tips below to come out with your pride and your career intact.

1.  Stop and listen. Our first instinct in this situation is to go on the defensive.  Before you start churning out excuses, take a deep breath and objectively listen to the criticism being offered.  Is there any truth to what is being said?

2.  Keep things professional.  Don’t even think about retaliating.  Our second instinct is to list every fault of the person responsible for inflicting this agony – usually to anyone who will listen.  “As if she’s perfect!”  It’s just an instinct, not the right course of action and it makes you look petty and immature.

3.  Try not to take it personally.  Yes, it stings but it doesn’t reflect your value as a person.  Keep it in perspective - it's work and constructive criticism comes with the territory.

4.    Learn from your mistakes.  If you didn’t get the promotion you applied for, ask yourself if you were thoroughly prepared.  If you haven’t been performing at the expected level, think about changes you can make to be more effective.  Ask for feedback (yes, more feedback!) so that you can improve.  If you are fighting an uphill battle like I was, consider accessing outside resources.

5.  Remember that you are in good company.  Even famous people have encountered failure (sometimes publicly) and managed to persevere.  Consider this:

·      Albert Einstein failed his first college entrance exam at Zurich Polytechnic. (Charles Reichblum, Knowledge in a Nutshell)

·      Lucille Ball was dismissed from drama school for being too quite and shy. (Paul Stirling Hagerman, It's a Weird World)

·      Western Union turned down Alexander Graham Bell’s offer for exclusive rights to his invention known as the telephone. (M. Hirsh Goldberg, The Blunder Book)

·      Clint Eastwood was told by a Universal Pictures executive that his future wasn't very promising. (Ed Lucaire, Celebrity Setbacks)

·      Michael Jordan was cut from his high-school basketball team as a sophomore. (Bob Greene, in Reader's Digest)

·      Charles Schulz was told by his high school's yearbook staff that his cartoons were not acceptable for the annual. (Charles E. Ferrell, in the Clergy Journal)

·      Mickey Mantle lost in the category of "Most Athletic" his senior year in high school. (Jim Kreuz, in Baseball Digest)

·      Malcolm Forbes, the late editor-in-chief of Forbes magazine, did not make the staff of the school newspaper at Princeton University. (The Best of Bits & Pieces)

·      Woody Allen flunked motion picture production at New York University and the City College of New York and failed English at NYU. (The Best of Bits & Pieces)

Do you want to develop a comprehensive career plan that leverages your talents so you can climb the corporate ladder faster, but don't know how? Register for the promotion planning eClass.  In eight weeks, you will learn about corporate advancement, find out what success factors are crucial to your targeted position, understand and address the obstacles standing in your way of success, and create a plan to build on your strengths.  Learn more and register at www.leverageyourtalent.com.

Comments

[generic viagra]

wise advise to avoid these kind of messages

[Comprar Viagra]

You have a very good blog that the main thing a lot of interesting and useful!

[Buy Viagra online]

Your blog is very interesting and I like to read it!

[Payday Loans]

Hi, great post. thank you!Fast loan up to $ 1500.

[Volker from Germany]

I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don't know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.

[generic cialis]

i like this part of the blog:"Try not to take it personally. Yes, it stings but it doesn’t reflect your value as a person. Keep it in perspective - it's work and constructive criticism comes with the territory." is very good

[coach handbags]

May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human, enough hope to make you happy

[Retro Jordans]

The only thing we can handle is to cherish what we have now, our career, dream, friends and lover.

[RamonGustav]

Hi I liked your note, add your site to your bookmarks.

[Antivirus_man]

You write well will be waiting for your new publications.

[generic viagra]

When i visit a blog, chances are that I notice that most blogs are amateurish. Regarding your blog,I could honestly say that you writting is decent and your website solid.

[school_dubl]

Happy New Year! Happiness and success in 2011.

[Generic Viagra]

Huh? You have been to a great extent almost successful in weaving up the article on this subject. But I still ain’t satisfied because I feel there is somewhere a missing link which has not been covered yet.

[football customized jerseys]

weaving up the article on this subject. But I still ain’t satisfied because I feel there is somewhere a missing link which has not been covered yet.

[chanel Purses]

which are another example of what some people call the "lexicalist hypothesis", a view that has occasionally -- but erroneously -- been inferred from some previous writings of mine. Since my linguistic creativity is infinite, I can categorically state that there aren't templates of any sort.

[Nike Shox For Sale]

Who controls the past controls the future; who controls the present controls the past.

[Coach Outlet]

Temperance and labor are the two best physicians of man; labor sharpens the appetite, and temperance prevents from indulging to excess.

[Coach Factory Store]

Our environment, the world in which we live and work, is a mirror of our attitudes and expectatio.

[snowlin]

http://bhjguni.livejournal.com/

[federal defense lawyer]

I needed that at the moment.

[Ed Hardy Discount Clothing]

These exceptional gifts imply that they took the time to find a seriously particular gift for them.

[Elegance]

Thank you for your help!

[Fashion news]

There is obviously a lot to know about this. I think you made some good points in Features also.

[logo work gloves]

From my experience, all i do is keep on ignoring negative energy. It helps me lot to focus on what i do.

[Comprar Sildenafil sin receta]

This impressive information like each reader. Thank you!