The Financial Post’s recent article, “Constructive criticism is an oxymoron we should do away with,” is absolutely absurd. It not only misses the point of what constructive criticism is all about, it’s ridiculous and naïve.
While cloaking negative criticism as constructive feedback is surely suboptimal, to suggest that all constructive criticism is negative, as it does, is both misleading and inaccurate.
Each and every day there are countless instances of bosses (and colleagues) providing meaningful, thoughtful, feedback to people about how they can improve – and that counsel is received, and embraced, in the constructive spirit in which it was intended.
The Point of Constructive Criticism
The point of performance feedback is this: To inform someone about an aspect of their performance that they may, or may not, be aware of that is diluting their impact and influence.
Whether the feedback is positive or negative, constructive or destructive, right or wrong, or already known about or not, is entirely irrelevant — IT IS WHAT IT IS.
HOW We Receive Criticism
HOW we react/respond to such criticism is telling, though. “Levels of Leadership Success,” a self-study leadership tutorial on the LeadershipTraction website, speaks to this very point:
- Level 1 Leaders – those relatively inexperienced as leaders – tend to treat feedback as something to be DISPUTED.
- Level 2 Leaders – more savvy and upwardly-mobile leaders –tend to treat feedback as something to be ACCEPTED
- Level 3 Leaders – the most mature and advanced leaders – tend to treat feedback as something to be SOUGHT
The point is this: You will likely be judged AS MUCH IF NOT MORE on how you RECEIVE the criticism than what you do with it. (But you do have to do something with it.)
Let me repeat this for emphasis: You will likely be judged AS MUCH IF NOT MORE on how you RECEIVE the criticism than what you do with it. (But you do have to do something with it.)
Bosses are Often “Right for the Wrong Reasons”
But what if you really DO dispute the feedback? Or what if it really ISN’T constructive? What then?
The short answer is this: Figure out how to make it constructive.
My very first “real” job out of college was at Blue Cross/Blue Shield. One of my bosses there told me that my “problem” was that my desk was too messy and THAT was why I was missing deadlines and submitting substandard deliverables.
Huh?! Because my desk was a mess?!
Was it a mess? Well yes, but that wasn’t why my performance was falling short. It was falling short because I could never figure out what, exactly, my boss was asking me to do. He talked in code!
But it wasn’t until he gave me the WRONG reason – that my desk was a mess – that I took the time to realize the ACTUAL reason – that I wasn’t asking the questions I needed to ask, on the FRONT end, to find out what the heck he was wanting.
So even though the feedback was delivered poorly, and was factually inaccurate, it turned out to be surprisingly constructive, as well.
Similarly, when at the Merc, one of my bosses told me that my “problem” was that I didn’t know how to prioritize and THAT was why certain problems lingered for longer than necessary. In that moment, I realized two things:
- Thing One – I actually did know how to prioritize
- Thing Two – I wasn’t having powerful enough conversations with my staff and vendor personnel about how to solve these problems SOONER.
Again, the feedback was “wrong,” and really, really helpful.
In Conclusion
While I surely disagree with the premise and conclusions of The Financial Post’s piece, I appreciate how it both stimulated and clarified my thinking.
“Anything constructive is associated with growth, which requires a person to be open, not in a defensive state of mind,” it said. I Agree. And that’s as good a piece of advice for both the feedback RECEIVER and feedback GIVER, alike.
What exactly are you disagreeing with here in the FP article?
The phrase, “constructive criticism” is a complete and total oxymoron, whether you like it or not. Under no circumstances is criticism ever helpful, or “constructive”, but instead is meant to denigrate, insult, malign, disparage an individual, or otherwise make them feel bad about themselves. There is no “constructive” or “destructive” criticism, only criticism, and placing any sort of adjective before it is completely redundant.
On the other hand, feedback is intended to help another individual reach their goals, or improve their work, etc. And just as with criticism, prepending adjectives such as “constructive”, or “destructive” onto it, is pointless and redundant. If you really want to give people the benefit of the doubt, perhaps what people really mean when they utter the silly phrase “constructive criticism” is feedback, which you seem to allude to a lot here. Again, it really begs the question of what problem you have with the FP article to begin with. You seem to agree with it, but have a problem with semantics and wording.
Another few things about feedback, aside from the fact that feedback is meant to help people, and not cut them down and make them feel bad is:
1) Feedback is requested. This means that an individual is asking for it. Now, it is certainly true that the feedback received won’t be all that helpful, in which case, discard it. You should only be seeking feedback from people who want to help you, that you respect, and have experience in the field or industry. Ultimately, it is up to you to determine whether or not the feedback is helpful.
On the other hand, criticism is freely given, unsolicited, usually with a huge sense of entitlement and superiority on the part of the person giving it. After all, criticism is meant to make people feel bad, and not build them up. The other person doesn’t really give a rat’s you-know-what about your own personal development, but instead just wants to feel better themselves, that is, to feel superior to you.
2) Not everybody is qualified to be giving feedback. This is a very overlooked point. What does this mean? Let’s use an example.
One thing I know very little about is… speed skating (yeah, why not, just picked it out of a hat). Now if somebody who was, say, super into the sport of speed skating saw me, and asked me what proper speed skating form is, what posture they should have etc., they’re asking the wrong person for feedback. I know very little about speed skating, and thus I’m not qualified to be giving out advice (or “feedback”) on how to be a “good” speed skater. Instead, they should take speed skating lessons from somebody who is well experienced in the sport.
The moral of the story, which ties in with the last point is: Do not ask for feedback from unqualified people (that is, people who cannot help you achieve your goals), and do not ask for feedback from people who you do not respect.
3) The use of the phrase “constructive criticism” is just another form of backpedaling.
People often make, either intentionally or unintentionally, very condescending, denigrating, and disparaging remarks to or about an individual, and when they inevitably get a hostile or resistive reaction, they backpedal and label their insults as “constructive criticism”. The harsh truth is, most people have absolutely brutal communication and social skills, and don’t consider how their words and actions affect other people. That’s not your problem, that is their problem.
4) The quality of the feedback is dependent on the giver’s knowledge and experience, but is also heavily dependent on the conversational and articulatory skills of the person giving it. This also intertwines deeply with the last point about conversational skills and backpedaling.
Based on your story about interactions with a former boss of yours, he has absolutely brutal communication and articulation skills, which are not exactly hallmarks of a great leader. Your boss seemed have his head so stuck up his rear end, that he believed that his employees should be able to read his mind and you know, “do exactly what he wants”. Well, unfortunately, boss, it doesn’t work that way. And that’s a lesson that’s probably gonna be learned the hard way (read: financial loss, loss of a client, etc.).
However he may not be entirely incorrect; if your workstation is messy or unsanitary, you should indeed clean it up.
5) Reject all criticism. What you do with any feedback received is entirely up to you, as stated in the first paragraph of point 1. There isn’t much to say here that hasn’t already been said. Nobody is obligated to follow anybody’s advice, regardless of circumstances, or the person giving it, and especially if it’s unsolicited.
Anyway, there’s my $0.02.
Thanks, Mike. I appreciate your taking the time to post your views on this and the points you made. -bz