Do you loath or love critical feedback?

How many times have you wanted to say to your colleagues, "Hey, that presentation was terrible. You're better than that. Try again", but you were too polite to 'hurt their feelings'? How many times have you sat in the pub after work moaning to fellow colleagues about the way your boss spoke to you in that meeting, but never directly told your boss what they did to upset you? Maybe you didn't want to say anything because you were genuinely afraid of repercussions. Maybe you just enjoy the camaraderie among peers of a perceived shared enemy. Regardless of the reason, giving and receiving criticism remains one of the hardest parts of the job. It's also one of the most effective ways in which we learn, improve and prosper.

So let's talk about The Art & Science of Criticism. In this TED podcast WorkLife, organizational psychologist, Adam Grant talks about why it's so soul crushing to receive criticism and whether we can actually learn to like it. He goes deep, interviewing people at one of the world's most successful hedge funds, Bridgewater Associates, where giving direct and in the moment feedback isn't just encouraged - it's mandatory. They even record all their meetings to make it easier to review and discuss people's performance. What?!

There were moments in this podcast when I just wanted to curl up under a rock due to contact embarrassment, but the interviewees lived and so did I. In fact, once they get use to it they seem to actually love this open, transparent and critical work style. They're thriving and their company is HUGELY successful. What can we learn from this? How do you accept criticism? How often do you share your critical thoughts? Could you learn to LOVE critical feedback? 

I'd love to discuss this topic with you all in more detail, so I'll be hosting a brief FB Live Action Learning Discussion on Tuesday, 7th August, at 4pm (London)/ 11am (New York) in my private FaceBook Group, The MOJO Mobilizers Collective. Bring your thoughts, questions, ideas and let's see how we might improve our working lives by revolutionizing the way we all give and take criticism. See you then. x

Click here to join the group and our discussion about The Art & Science of Criticism.