Criticism
How often do you receive criticism for something you have done or said? How does it make you feel? How do you respond? What should you respond to?
From my experience, there are two types of criticism - criticism you ignore and criticism that you respond to.
What is criticism you ignore - typically it’s from people you don’t know. Maybe someone out of the blue saw something you wrote and felt the need to make themselves known and give their opinion, unsolicited, about your ideas. You don’t know them, they aren’t on your mailing list, and their criticism is just a rant. My best advice of how to handle it is to either ignore it completely or send a quick response thanking them for their opinion. By quick, I mean one or two lines of text. Don’t waste your time with these people - responding with anything more will only encourage someone like this and you may end up spending time and energy on a relationship that is going no where.
What is criticism you should respond to - when a client has a criticism, especially a client you care about, you have an obligation to respond. People you have some sort of relationship with are worth the effort and deserve a response. Generally, these people are letting you know that they care about what you are saying or doing. They may disagree or they may not understand. Either way, they are looking to engage in conversation, not just ranting. They understand that criticism can be helpful and turn into a win-win situation. You don’t have to agree with someone, but you do have an obligation to listen to them and to let them know that you’ve heard them. Even if you don’t go with what they want, explain your decision to this person, because they will be glad you listened to them.
About the Author:
Matthew Best is the president of Best Solutions. He is an entrepreneurial coach who works specifically with clients who have EADD - Entrepreneurial Attention Deficit Disorder. Sign up for his free weekly newsletter for entrepreneurs and decision makers by visiting Passportforsuccess.org
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Criticism