Receiving negative feedback is never easy. It can make us feel vulnerable, insecure, and defensive. Yet, negative feedback is an essential part of growth and development, especially in our personal and professional lives. If we want to thrive and improve, we need to learn how to embrace feedback, good or bad, and use it as a catalyst for improvement.
In this blog post, we'll explore why receiving negative feedback is hard and how to bounce back from it.
Why Does it Hurt You?
The first step to bouncing back from negative feedback is to understand why it hurts you. The same feedback will not impact everyone the same way. For some people, being seen as unlikeable might not be a big deal, but being challenged on their performance could be deeply troubling. Take some time to reflect on your red buttons and why some topics are more sensitive than others. Understanding your triggers and vulnerabilities can help you approach feedback from a more objective and constructive perspective.
Does it Matter?
Not all feedback is created equal. Reflect on the importance and potential impact of the feedback you received. Does it come from someone who has an impact on your career or personal life? Could this negative feedback derail the course of a current project you are working on? Assess the possible consequences and how you could take back control. If the feedback has little or no impact on your goals or values, you can choose to ignore it or take it with a grain of salt.
Try to Get More Feedback
A feedback in isolation is just a personal opinion and might be very subjective. To evaluate the objectivity and validity of the feedback, it is important to gather additional points of view from at least five other people. If the majority is saying the same thing, then there is clearly a pattern, and some growth opportunities. Instead of focusing on the negative feedback as the problem, try to see it as a data point, a starting point for self-reflection and improvement.
See It as a Gift
Of course, negative feedback hurts. We all want to be liked and appreciated for who we are and what we do. But negative feedback is sometimes necessary to help us grow and work on our blind spots. Some people give you negative feedback to help you grow personally, while others do it to hurt you. That is human nature. But that is why it is essential to put things into context and to see negative feedback as a gift, an opportunity to improve, learn, and challenge ourselves.
Take Action
The final step to bouncing back from negative feedback is to take action. Once you have analyzed the feedback, understood why it hurts, assessed its impact, and gathered additional feedback, it's time to take action. Create an action plan, set specific and measurable goals, and track your progress. Ask for support, feedback, and accountability from trusted colleagues, friends, or mentors. Remember that growth and improvement are not linear but iterative processes. Don't be too hard on yourself, and celebrate your progress along the way.
Conclusion:
Receiving negative feedback is hard, but it doesn't have to be debilitating. By understanding why it hurts, assessing its impact, gathering additional feedback, seeing it as a gift, and taking action, we can bounce back from negative feedback and use it as an opportunity for growth and improvement. Remember, the best feedback we can receive is the one that challenges us to be our best selves.
コメント