Nina East had a great post on February 8 about the fear of criticism.   It just reminds me so much of a few leaders I have coached in the past who built a wall of “yes men” around them…that fear of hearing negative feedback is just too much to handle.  In the leadership coaching arena, some of us call this “CEO disease!”

But in our world today, we are all going to be criticized more openly.  Generation Y has a scrutinizing eye, and it won’t take long before our businesses, projects and programs are criticized, and the question becomes “What do we do with this feedback?”

For starters, there is usually a negative emotional response to criticism.  Leaders may put up a great front, but it is very common for people of all developmental stages to get just a bit defensive.  It bites to be criticized.  But, in each critique is a silver lining, so here are a few steps you can take.

1) Listen to the full complaint.  Put your mute button on, and listen carefully to the criticism.

2) Thank the individual, and let them know you will address the concern.

3) Step back from the criticism and look closely at your next steps.  What did you learn and what can you do?  Is something not working that you can fix?

4) Create a plan of action.  This can be to work on a behavior, make a change or to implement a solid action plan.

5) Go back to the person who criticized you and offer a solution.  Let them know exactly what you plan to do and when your action plan will be implemented.

In the end, this approach can strengthen your position as a leader.  It can make you, your team and your company much stronger by taking action on those negative comments that are sure to come your way in the future.