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5 Ways to Use Negative Feedback for Your Success - Turning Lemons into Lemonade

Have you ever received negative feedback at work? Check out these 5 ways that you can use negative feedback to take your career to greater heights!

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Have you ever received negative feedback at work? Check out these 5 ways that you can use negative feedback to take your career to greater heights!

Photo credit: Askar

Broadly speaking, negative feedback is a normal part of life. But, very few of us are able to deal with the huge blow that comes with it. I’m speaking from experience when I say that it can demoralize you. But the trick is to know how to handle negative feedback.

I can tell you from experience that you should not take negative feedback personally. Rather, take it seriously. Here's my experience:

When I was in my second year of law school, my father advised me to start getting legal experience by enrolling in a prestigious law firm within the capital. Since I was on holiday and I obviously had nothing else to do,  I decided to take up the internship opportunity. 

On my first day at the firm, I was instructed to draft a letter. I really gave that letter my undivided attention. I went as far as praying over the letter before handing it to my supervisor. After quickly perusing the letter, my superior simply gazed at me and asked, “Have you ever set foot in an English class?”

My motivation and enthusiasm were cut short instantly. That rhetorical question dealt a huge blow to my ego and that was the last time I set foot in that office. I spent the rest of my holiday doing what I loved - binge-watching movies and socializing. 

The truth is that you have no control over how feedback will be delivered. However, you can control how you react to it. The natural reaction after receiving negative feedback is to go into defense mode. Fight the urge to be defensive. From my story, you can see that I chose to be defensive and gave up. My learning experience at that time was cut short because I took the negative feedback personally. Don’t be like me; use these 5 tips to improve and make your career successful after receiving constructive criticism. 

 

1. Don’t be defensive

The first step is to check and limit your reaction. If you receive negative feedback that stings, take some time to analyze the emotion that you feel. Do you feel embarrassed? Angry? Frustrated? In pain? Disappointed? These reactions are normal but impractical when receiving feedback. Try not to let your feelings take over and stand in the way of a constructive interaction, especially if you feel angry or confrontational. Listen to the negative feedback and take some time to reflect on what was said, then form a good response.

 

2. Note it down

Taking notes is a really powerful statement, especially to your superior. It shows that you are mature enough to receive criticism and work on improving. When you receive negative feedback, your mind might be clouded with emotions, so taking notes will help you reflect on what is being said. It will also help you come up with a clear plan on how to improve on your weaknesses. It will also help you remember to ask any additional questions that will help you improve.

 

3. Figure out if the feedback is fair

Since you have noted down the negative feedback and have taken time off to clear your mind, you can now consider whatever was said. Is it valid or invalid? Sometimes feedback can be invalid because of workplace bullying or a poor management system. Be very objective when analyzing the feedback. How is your work environment? Is your supervisor really helping you grow and improve? Or is your supervisor trying to criticize you unfairly? If it is the latter, you should work on maintaining high levels of motivation and not letting unfair negative criticism affect you. Alternatively, figure out if you need to get out of that toxic work environment. If your supervisor made a valid point, you should create an improvement plan.

 

4. Create a list of follow-up questions

Clarity is very important when it comes to negative feedback. Don’t be afraid to ask questions or respond. However, if you feel confrontational or angry, take some time off before you respond or ask questions. Sticking to the facts will help you be objective and give you the best results. If your employer says that you need to improve your communication skills, you need to ask for more clarity. Does it mean that you need to communicate better verbally with clients, superiors, or fellow employees? On paper? Get some clarity so that you can know what aspects of communication to focus on. This way, you don’t waste your time focusing on something irrelevant.

 

5. Create a plan and follow up

Once you know what areas of yourself to work on, come up with a plan. How can you hold yourself accountable? Create clear steps that help you work on your improvement. Set reasonable deadlines that help you be more accountable for your actions. Once you start clearing out your deadlines, you can follow up with your superior to review your progress. Try to ask for a follow-up meeting to gauge your improvement and get more feedback on your progress.

 

Conclusion

When you face negative feedback, take it seriously - not personally. Use the criticism to understand and improve whatever weaknesses you have. Strive to be a better version of yourself every day. Don't get caught up in the negative energy that comes with criticism. But the mere fact that you are scrolling through this article is enough proof that you are strong enough to overcome it.

Written by

Lilian Nerima Musonge

Nerima Musonge is a Lawyer who is passionate about Content Creation and Copywriting. She is constantly trying to broaden her artistic pursuits and find out how they can integrate with the law. When she is not squinting behind a laptop, she is mothering, cracking jokes, and living her best life


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