Dealing With Criticism or Rejection at Work

Jill Frank, the President of Leverage Your Talent in Tampa, FL shared this valuable insight about how to deal with the realities of criticism or rejection in the workplace.  She says that since we tend to merge our identities with our careers, rejection or criticism can often be a blow to our self-esteem. From not landing a new job to a less than stellar performance appraisal or pesky office gossip – these situations rarely showcase our best side.

Follow Jill’s 5 tips below to come out with your pride and your career intact after you receive feedback that is not 100% positive.

• Stop and listen. While the natural instinct is to go on the defensive and to churn out excuses, take a deep breath and objectively listen to the criticism offered. There may be some truth to what is being said and you may learn from a teachable moment that will help you in the long run.
• Keep things professional. While retaliating might make you feel better don’t ever go there! Responding in this way is not the professional high road and will make you look petty and immature.
• Don’t take it personally. Let it roll and remember that the criticism does not reflect your values as a person. Put it all in perspective – it’s work and constructive criticism comes with the territory.
• Learn from your mistakes. If you didn’t get the promotion or land the new job, ask yourself if you were thoroughly prepared. Think about the changes you can make to move forward and ask for detailed feedback and possibly even action steps so you have a clear picture of how you can improve. Consider outside resources if you prefer to strategize with a mentor away from your current work environment.
• Remember that you are in good company. It’s safe to say that everyone encounters constructive criticism and failure at some point in their professional life. You are human after all.

Your own career journey will take courage, faith in yourself and tenacity. So take Jill Frank’s sage advice to heart and navigate constructive criticism with an open mind and consider it an opportunity to grow your skills and hone your strengths while not taking the feedback personally.