Can you face your critics?

A perspective on courageous leadership

“We cannot change anything until we accept it.” — Carl Jung

Every leader, at some point, makes unpopular decisions. Being an effective leader means making the tough calls and having the fortitude to weather the fallout.

Facing criticism can be challenging. Unfiltered feedback is often difficult to hear for most of us.

Here are a few practices I follow that seem to make it easier.

First, I try not to take it personally. While this sounds easy, it’s much harder to follow in practice if you are like me.

When I’m receiving criticism for a decision I’ve made, it helps to remind myself ‘why’ I made the decision in the first place.

I find it easier to stay objective when I think about the valid business reasons behind my decision.

Next, and this is tough for me, try and remain calm. I work hard not to react emotionally.

I’m a passionate person with some strong beliefs and opinions. Sometimes, when my decisions are questioned, I perceive it as a challenge and rush to defend my decision rather than remain open.

To help curb this tendency, I work to create space between the stimulus (the challenge) and my response. This gives me time to reflect and implement the next step.

Third, I try to remain open and curious by asking myself questions. Did I miss something? Did I miscalculate or decide too quickly?

I readily accept my fallibility and know that I will not always make the best decision. Reminding myself of this helps me see the challenges as an opportunity to learn and improve. Something personally important to me.

Finally, I remind myself that great leaders are great listeners, and receiving feedback, critical or otherwise, is an opportunity to listen.

To be a great listener is very easy.

You don’t have to do anything else except genuinely listen and consider what is said.