At Work: To succeed, learn to take criticism

If you can handle criticism with an open mind and willingness to hear the lesson behind the critique, you will be happier at your job.  That’s what career consultant and USA Today columnist Andrea Kay writes in her latest At Work column.  Kay gathered thoughts from career and performance experts including TRACOM’s Dr. Casey Mulqueen.  She writes that people who become defensive about workplace criticism are “less happy with their job, have low performance ratings and low self-esteem.

Read the USA Today column here.

Dr. Mulqueen says research shows that people who become most defensive are more likely to have lower self-esteem. “Does the criticism cause low self-esteem or are people with low self-esteem more likely to be criticized,” asks Mulqueen. “Both can be true.”

Kay offers good advice for anyone working in an environment where critiques — aka criticism — can occur.  Keep an open mind.  Be interested instead of defensive.  Doing this, she points out, can help a person learn, improve and be happier.

Other Andrea Kay At Work columns.