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Boss Criticism can come at you at any point in time and you really shouldn’t feel bad about it. Half the time, we do not get praised for what we do as employees, sometimes you feel ‘’What I’ve done is so good, my boss will be proud of me’’ but end up being disappointed. Tell your other work buddies or friends about it and they’ll say ‘eeyah, and you did good ooo, sorry’, tell older people about it and they’ll say ‘ That’s how it should be, you don’t expect to be congratulated for every little thing you do’.
No one ever just understands that feeling because they’re not you.
This article isn’t about how to make people understand the way you feel, it’s about how to deal with that feeling so it doesn’t affect your work, your relationship with your boss and others.
Boss Criticism is sometimes difficult to accept — but that all depends on your reaction. You can either use criticism in a positive way to improve, or in a negative way that can lower your self-esteem and cause stress, anger or even aggression.
1. Rein in your emotions
Right now you’re probably thinking how can you ignore your emotions, am I asking you to hide your feelings? No. Your first reaction to criticism is Anger. It doesn’t matter if you’re good at masking {showing no emotion} you definitely will feel that spark of anger whenever your work is criticized. You have to learn to control that by ceasing to make the facial expression that’s just dying to pop out.
2. Listen & Learn
When getting criticized, do not try to defend yourself, it makes you come off as rude or disrespectful. Listen carefully and only speak after your boss is done speaking or when required to. Swallow your ego, keep an open mind and Accept the boss criticism. Take your time and process all your boss has said, pick out the vital information and throw the hurtful parts in the trash can. Implement these into your work and see how much you improve.
3. Don’t take your boss criticism personal
Dust it off like a boss. Don’t let it get to you, this is a major part of handling criticism, Don’t be like “Peruzzi” and slap your boss. Try to understand your boss’s intentions, realize that it’s a criticism of your actions and your performance, not of you. Taking things personally is a fear response that happens when you perceive situations as threatening to your ego. Take a deep breath, remember the saying of Antonio Reeves: Diamonds are formed under pressure. Their beauty comes from friction. This can be the case for your career as well
4. Always appreciate
This is the hardest part of dealing with criticism. How do you expect me to say thank you to someone that just condemned my work?. Keeping a positive attitude in a situation like this does not only show strength but also maturity. This puts you in a whole new light. It helps your boss see that you were able to handle a situation wisely and you understand his views.
Criticism isn’t centered at work, it’s something we face in our daily activities, learn to be tolerant instead and less defensive. Listen and understand the point of your critic, if its too much to bear, leave that situation, find something to distract you and get it off your mind, you’ll feel better and be able to get on with your day. Always putting up a fight won’t help, there are critics everywhere. Keep a positive mindset and surprise them.
Food for thought: If no one recognizes your work, will they criticize it?
