Accept Criticism, but Reject Negativity

Although not all leaders and entrepreneurs I’ve interacted with in over 60 countries will acknowledge this, what I have observed is that most accept criticism, but reject negativity.

It is a philosophy I learned from my parents long ago - accept any criticism, look for ways to improve yourself, look for things you did wrong or could do better, but don’t accept negativity.

Don’t even allow it to exist within your work or life.

When I speak of negativity, I mean comments meant to bring you down, such as: You did this wrong, you’ll never do it right, and then they just move on.

Criticism is when someone tells you they didn’t like what you said (or did) because it made them feel a certain way. They give you insight into what happened for them so you can be aware of what you could address next time, or aware of how your behavior affects people one way or the other.

Being self-aware allows you to accept criticism and learn from it, rather than just taking the negativity.

When someone hits you with a negative statement, you can’t do much with it because they’re not giving you feedback on what you can do to make it better — and what we can do to make it better moving forward is what we need to know. Accept criticism, but reject negativity.

BEFORE YOU GO

We see our blogs as opportunities for dialogue. Please share your thoughts as comments.

1. How do you elicit feedback from those you work with or to whom you provide services?

2. What other tools have you used to get feedback, beyond verbal or written?

3. What other ways do you make sure you keep learning from your past?

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Faris Alami is Founder and CEO of International Strategic Management, Inc. (ISM). He works internationally, presenting Exploring Entrepreneurship Workshops and other entrepreneurial ecosystem — related ventures.