Criticism

Criticism - the practice of judging the merits and faults of something.

Many things can lead to the failure of an organization. In fact, there are so many possible downfalls, that one might wonder how organizations even manage to succeed.  I believe the analysis and judgment of merits and faults of different ideas and decisions is a key factor to fostering success.

Accepting criticism is often perceived to be the difficult part. But many times, giving criticism is the truly difficult thing to master. This is true when the goal of the criticism is to change flawed behavior, since accepting criticism is difficult even when it is given well, so you have to work hard in order to make it count. So here are my thoughts on receiving and giving criticism:

When receiving criticism, whatever it is, first and foremost you must accept it. Try your hardest to not defend your position. Next, analyze the criticism. Was the decision that led to it conscious? If so, is it still the best choice considering the new information given? The new information about someone elses opinion/perspective might merit a change. It might not. Think about it as if now you just have more information to make a decision you made in the past.

Try to receive feedback often. This usually makes it less harsh, easier to accept, and more relevant. Choose a frequency that makes sense for you and your group, and stick to it. Actively pursue getting feedback, don't wait to receive it - it will almost always be negative if you have to wait to receive it, while you will get praise and get a feel for what you are doing right and wrong when you ask for it.

When giving feedback, figure out how to make it serve your goals. Your goal has to be well defined: "W is an issue because X. An alternative to X, Y, would be better because Z." If you can't even start to think about X, Y, or Z, you are probably not going to get anything out of your criticism. 

Remember - you should always think critically and look for optimizations. Just try to select for the more important ones, and remember that applying the change has a certain cost. 

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