We all receive negative feedback. Sometimes it’s constructive and clear… and sometimes it’s not. A blog post I wrote a few weeks ago sparked feedback from a few readers—they felt it was crass and off-putting—remarks which stung… but this isn’t my first rodeo so I knew this was my chance to re-learn some things.
I do agree it wasn’t my best post. I didn’t take the time to research as much as I would have liked and I was trying to get it done before the deadline—I rushed it. I had a feeling it wasn’t my best writing effort which means I didn’t listen to my intuition.
I hate receiving negative feedback. It’s discouraging, but I also know how valuable it can be. The bottom line is that I want to improve and give people my best. If you feel the same then accepting and processing negative feedback is an important part of the growth process.
As I see it, there are three (3) ways to deal with negative feedback:
- Accept it, feel down, give up and/or do nothing. This is a horrible solution. Giving up is not the answer and the sad truth is that many people take this approach. I’ve done it before…and regretted it. I quit the track team in grade 10 because I didn’t like the coach. I was arrogant and prideful and it cost me. I stopped writing a book I was working on three years ago as someone told me my writing was amateur and the first draft was horrible. The discouragement stopped me for a long-time but I shouldn’t have let it.
- Accept it, feel down, learn, and move forward. This is repentance. Accept correction from trusted people, thank them, get up and do something about it. Progression only occurs through tough feedback, “Push through it to get to it”. If you want to be all you’re called to, get used to correction and discipline. Embracing it doesn’t make it easier to take… it will always sting. That sting means you care about a better outcome. If you always strive to improve and put plans into action for improvement – it will happen.
- Ignore it. Sometimes you get negative, unsolicited feedback. When that feedback is lacking in context or they simply don’t agree with your position then it’s totally appropriate to be respectful but to ignore their remarks.
Next time you receive less than desirable feedback think about how to deal with it before you internalize or react to it. The goal is to turn negativity into positive action for better results… just ensure there’s always a next time.
Have a great day!
– Braden