What To Do When You Get Negative Feedback

So you got some tough-to-swallow feedback from a superior at work, a client, or a partner.

Yikes.

There’s nothing like critical feedback to knock you down a few pegs and invite the self-doubt monster to creep into your day.

How do you feel about feedback?

If you said, “I love glowing feedback or none at all,” you’re not alone.

There is an art to giving good, effective feedback, which is something every?leader should learn, but at the end of the day, you will receive critical feedback at some point. How you manage it is up to you.

Let’s work with the feedback you received.

STEP 1: Write down exactly what the person said.

If you have a written review, look at the facts and the exact words.

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STEP 2: Write out your thoughts and feelings about the feedback.

Some thoughts may generate negative feelings, sadness, anger, and defensiveness. It’s important that you allow yourself to pause and feel those negative emotions.

Feelings are just neurochemicals pulsing through your body.

If you give the sensations a little attention, they will dissipate in another 90 seconds. If you don’t process the emotion, it will come out somewhere else. Overeating, over-drinking, too much social media, shopping, or any other vice of your choosing.

It’s our thoughts about the feedback can make feel it so uncomfortable.

It’s nearly impossible to be in forward motion or productivity mode when we are defensive.

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STEP 3: Determine what you are making it mean

No one likes it when I ask this question. It’s annoying. I get it. But it’s also one of my favorites.

What are you making the feedback mean? What are you letting it say about you?

Maybe you let the feedback mean you are bad at your job. Or unworthy of a promotion. Or just generally a bad person.

Once you've processed that, think about what you want to make it mean.

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Feedback is just data. Yup.

It's not uncommon to let your thoughts about this data put a cloud over your whole career. It's typical to let the feedback mean, weigh, or dictate more than it is worth.

Are you struggling with some critical feedback at work? I’d love to help you see through a lens you might be missing.

If you want to navigate the complexities of the professional landscape with clarity, confidence, and purpose, I can help. Schedule a free strategy session where we will dig into your goals and what’s possible. Schedule with me HERE