Harper's critique
As the meeting wraps up, you gather your notes, with the echoes of your presentation still lingering in your mind. You have invested significant time into preparing and went over the presentation several times yesterday. Before you can process the meeting, your boss Harper approaches you.
Ouch. If you put yourself in the shoes of the person being criticized by Harper, you'll likely feel the sting of the criticism. For most people, receiving negative feedback is one of the most painful experiences at work. To make matters worse, people often fail to react professionally, and are unhappy not only about being criticized but also about their reaction.
In this introduction, we'll suggest a method for reacting to feedback. It aims to reduce the negative emotions you feel, help you get more value out of the feedback, and ensure you respond gracefully. In short, here are the steps we suggest you follow when receiving negative feedback:
- Reframe the negative feedback as an opportunity to grow
- Thank your colleague for the feedback
- Ask clarifying questions