Showerthought: Noticing my reaction to criticism changed how I handle feedback.

I used to shut down whenever someone gave me advice at my job. It felt like they were criticizing me personally. After a few months, I saw a pattern where I'd repeat the same errors because I wasn't listening. So, I decided to watch my first thoughts when criticized. I noticed that my mind would jump to 'they think I'm bad at this' right away. Once I saw that, I could tell myself it's just about the task, not me. Now, I take a breath and ask for details instead of getting upset. Has anyone else found a way to handle feedback better?

4 comments

4 Comments

the_lisa3d ago

Wait, idk if switching from defensive to eager is annoying though. I mean, it's way better than just shutting down, right? Maybe it's just a step.

drews553d ago

Ever notice that when you react badly to advice, people just stop giving it to you? That was the real kicker for me, realizing I was training my coworkers to let me fail.

brooke4483d ago

Oof, I've mastered that. Now my coworkers just watch me flail.

lucashenderson3d ago

Wow, so your fix for being defensive is to become annoyingly eager for notes instead.