In live, we often get negative feedback from people around us. Before we go into defensive mode, please give some thought to the statement from Bill Gates:

Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning – Bill Gates

I believe that, if you have friends, colleagues or managers who seems to always complain and never happy with what you do or produce, those complaints can also be the greatest source of learning. However, our natural response when we receive negative feedback often prevent the learning opportunities. Negative feedback bruises our ego and pride. And our natural response is to go into defensive mode and fight back by trying to explain yourself.

Next time you receive negative feedback, try to hold back the urge to fight back. Listen to what they said, don’t try to explain yourself. Say thank you afterward, sit back, grab a glass of water to calm yourself, and think through of the feedback you just received.

Can you improve the document you produce to be more clear and easier to understand by your target audience? Or change your attitude to be able to influence people around you? Bottom line is, given the feedback, can you change something to make yourself to be a better person, in personal as well as professional life?

After you think about it, the answer might be no, and that feedback might be untrue. Or maybe, it is not well intended. If this is the case, walk over it and move on. Keep delivering good results and great products. Because good results and great products are more effective in responding to negative feedback than words alone.

Note: The article from Hootsuite’s CEO Ryan Holmes is a good reading on how Hootsuite responded to insulting tweets