What do you do if you receive negative feedback on your work?

I feel like I am a pro at this! I think the most important thing to do is acknowledge the physiology that is happening. The sickness in your stomach, possibly sweating or beginning to fidgeting. These things are all normal and part of being human. I always begin by checking my emotional response, try to listen and to be prepared to ask questions, like "what could I have done differently" or "how would you have handled that situation or this feedback?" Be open listening and learning from whatever the mistakes. Being open to change and refining your skills will take you a long way.

Negative feedback can be difficult to receive. Recently I received feedback like that from a client who was uncomfortable with my use of interruption during a coaching session. The feedback was anonymous so I couldn't thank the person for it, but I spent time processing it and reflecting on how different coaching tactics might land on different people. In the end, I modified the introduction to coaching that I give in my first session with a client to specifically call out those tactics and invite the person to let me know if they find them disruptive.

“Getting negative feedback from managers isn’t easy, but it’s a chance to learn and grow. Take a moment to process the feedback, then use it constructively to refine your skills and approach. Ask for specific examples and guidance on how to improve, and remember that everyone makes mistakes—it’s how we learn from them that matters. Stay positive, stay focused, and keep striving for excellence!” DONT take it as a personal attack

Ask questions! Ask for specifics if they are available, and if the person giving the feedback wouldn’t mind sharing what they would have done differently. Clarity is kindness, and you can’t improve what you aren’t aware of!

If I receive negative feedback from a manager, I first reframe how I interpret it. I choose to view it as constructive feedback. Whether it was shared to help me grow, or out of spite, I can learn something. My first step is to take a long, hard look at my behavior, style of work, and actions. It's likely I will already know of some points that need correction and digging a little deeper can help me understand myself and the outlook of the manager. Asking myself, why did I do that? if I am serious about growth, I'll ask my manager for suggestions to improve as well as myself. I've learned that most if us are trying our best 90% of the time. It's our insecurities that tend to drive behavior or mechanisms that may cause problems.

This is great perspective. People often remember how your react to feedback more than the actual feedback. Even if the feedback is wrong, be careful to not overreact or become too defensive if it's something small. Just let it slide and build your reputation as someone who can receive feedback and grow from it. However for bigger issues, it may be more important to address it firmly but respectfully.

Always appreciate feedback, it's not often you get great feedback and no feedback means no room to be even better! Even if you think it's unjust, understand before you interject.

Acknowledging negative feedback is crucial for understanding the giver's perspective. Avoiding acknowledgment may lead the giver to withhold valuable insights. It's important to recognize that feedback, even if negative, can be instrumental in personal and professional growth, potentially identifying areas for improvement necessary for career advancement.

Feedback is a gift. If context of the negative feedback resonates, work hard on improving upon it. It’s also true that not every feedback suggesting a scope for improvement is worth acting upon with same vigour. A fine-tuning is all it takes. My worst mistake early in career was trying to overcorrect. With over correction, one risks to loose authenticity too quickly.

Receiving constructive feedback means you are seen. It is the start of a conversation that ends when you have learned and improved your skills and abilities to match the expectations you and your manager have agreed. It's a synergetic process of personal evolution for you and your manager that requires support, understanding, dedication and commitment from both towards each other. Receiving feedback and support towards professional development means you are in a 'safe to fail' and nurturing environment, in which your talent and potential is appreciated.

Depending on the nature and context of the feedback one should always listen to what is being commented on. Once you have assessed and processed the relevant parts that can be worked on and approached differently or better. Then you might loop back to the person who shared that feedback and try to get some clarification and understanding on the parts that may not have appeared to be relevant to you and the work that you are doing for the team.

Remain accountable for your actions, always. But you're within your right to clarify how or why something went a certain way and to show you're taking it on board and taking action.

When I receive feedback that doesn’t fully resonate with me, I mine for context and rationale using curiosity. My goal is to fully understand how the feedback is aligned to our shared vision and desired impact.

You shouldn't wait to hear a bad review! I love asking for feedback on all our programmes so we can serve our clients and team best.

When giving feedback, consider the full story and listen to the individual, giving them the opportunity for accountability and reconciliation. Ask how people like to receive feedback!

The zone of proximal development is incredibly important here. We have to set up spaces where we understand that for growth to happen, we are going to fail. To go from the comfort of what we already know to real change, new knowledge, new growth, we go through a zone of failure and fear. Setting up a safe space to move within that zone is not a nice to have, it's essential. Innovation, creativity, and growth all require a mindset and space of safety to flourish and having everyone with that same mindset and behaviors is key.

Eileen, this is spot on. I’m so excited to see what comes next!! Being able to appreciate the diversity in the room or around you in any given moments is imperative in this line of work. It’s exhausting and it’s heavy and yet I wouldn’t imagine doing anything else that What I’m doing right now.

• Remain open • Be mindful of the emotional responses it may trigger in you& others involved • Anticipate your reactions and the reactions of others • Don’t be overly sensitive/ self protective • Listen attentively, don’t resist, keep calm • Let your body language show you are receptive • Make sure that your self-image stays positive • Ask questions to understand. Repeat only what you heard. • Ask for specifics, including what you are doing well • Don’t make excuses, listen and focu how you can improve • Does the person give feedback know what they are talking about – Consider the source • If you want to ignore it, do you have evidence that contradicts it. Mentally examine the feedback intention no emotions just facts • Say “Thank You”

What worked for me working with different cultures is always having a discussion around how we prefer to receive and give feedback. Building trust and understanding around it makes it in a way easier to accept and digest negative constructive feedback. What I have learned is I should never take it personally, listen actively to the feedback, ask clarifying questions if you do not understand something, stay with the emotion it triggers, ask yourself why is it triggering you. Put yourself in the feedback givers position, what are they trying to convey? What is their intention? I believe that reflection can help us move away from reacting negatively, have a try and see if this is helpful 🙏🏻

When receiving negative feedback at work, remain open and listen actively, seeing it as a chance to grow. Reflect on the feedback to identify areas for improvement, and develop a plan with specific goals. Communicate your intentions to address the feedback, showing appreciation for the opportunity to improve. Implementing micro-accommodations, such as small adjustments in behavior or communication, can foster a more inclusive environment. These efforts not only show a commitment to personal growth but also contribute to a supportive and understanding workplace culture.

What is considered negative is subjective. Certain cultures prefer direct feedback, some prefer to sandwich negative feedback between two positive ones, while others hint at them. So when receiving feedback - the cultural context is important.