Dealing with criticism

Winston Churchill had a framed copy of this quote on the wall of his study – “If I were to try to read, much less to answer, all the attacks made on me, this shop might as well be closed for any other business. I do the very best I know how – the very best I can; and I mean to keep on doing so until the end. If the end brings me out all right, then what is said against me won’t matter. If the end brings me out wrong, then ten angels swearing I was right would make no difference!”

Maybe we should have it on our Facebook, Linkedin walls and read it everytime we hear criticism and we do hear a lot of it. It’s important to have the conviction that you are doing the right things and it’s great to get feedback but criticism is something else… It really cripples a lot of people and they just become immobile, unable to move ahead. Toxic bosses/colleagues use criticism to demoralise and to induce fear. I have had the unfortunate experience of working with a toxic colleague who would criticise incessantly – have yet to hear the person say good things for anyone !! There was a physical manifestation of my dislike for this person, where I would end up getting a headache or an earache or I would move back if I had to interact with this person.

It’s critical to deal with criticism, especially for young children. With the digital age, criticism reaches a lot more people and teachers and parents need to help the child deal with it. If feedback is a gift, criticism is crippling…. Use constructive feedback, never criticism. Read the quote above if you are subjected to criticism, and shrug it off as long as you are on the right path and are doing your best.