Heeding Constructive Criticism Can Lead to Change for the Better

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Byline: Ken Potts

This is the first in a 2-part series

"I don't mean to be critical, but ..."

"I'm only telling you this for your own good ..."

"Look, I hate to bring this up ..."

We all know what comes next. We're about to take it on the chin. Somebody - friend, relative, employer, maybe even a complete stranger - is going to let us know all about some mistake we've made, some fault we have or just something they don't like about us.

They may call it "constructive criticism." It usually seems like we get more "destructed" than "constructive."

There are a number of ways we learn to deal with the criticism that inevitably comes our way. Many of us just try to avoid it. We learn to detect approaching criticism and take evasive action before we get shot down. We find other things we suddenly …