Masonry Magazine December 1999 Page. 21
Practicing the
Art of Criticism
Crit'i-cism (krit'i-siz-em)
No one likes to receive it. Even fewer like to give it. Because criticism is so often associated with misunderstandings and even anger, it's frequently avoided in the workplace. Yet, criticism can be a tool of personal and professional growth. Practiced constructively, criticism can actually increase morale in the workplace. If you'd like to develop better criticism skills, use these brief suggestions as starting points.
Avoid labeling
Negative criticism or personal labeling can easily damage an individual's self esteem and does little to change the behavior which originally provoked the criticism. When criticizing, avoid denigrating an individual.
Don't say:
"You're sloppy and inefficient."
Speak in the abstract
When making a constructive criticism, don't focus entirely on your employee or colleague. Bring your own experiences into the conversation, as well as the general principles you're trying to foster.
Don't say:
You don't pay enough attention to potential errors.
Do say: "People in our line of work get ahead by paying close attention to potential errors.
Attribute an employee's failure,
in part, to yourself
This principle isn't as strange as it may sound at first blush. By offering to share in the responsibility for whatever problem you're confronting, you depersonalize the criticism while stressing the importance of correcting the problem in the future.
Say:
"I know it's easy to forget to file those reports. I never did fully explain all the repercussions that occur when they're submitted late."
Be specific. When delivering criticism, don't be ambiguous or vague about the nature of the problem; you'll only keep your employee or colleague wondering about the nature of your real message. Be sure your vocabulary is precise. Use examples and models if necessary.
Don't say:
"You seem to have some problems in the quality control area."
Do say:
"Our lack of adherence to quality control procedures cost us an extra $350 last week."
Offer strategic assistance
Sometimes an employee undertakes a particular action only because he doesn't know what else to do. By coaching the employee on proper work behavior, you'll help him deal effectively with problem situations in the future. A caution, however:
By Richard G. Ensman, Jr.
when you coach, suggest ways that an employee can better adhere to your goals and principles; don't tell him, step-by-step, how to do his job.
Don't say:
"You should have done something about those missing parts yesterday."
Do say:
"To prevent this problem in the future, why not let me know about missing part immediately... and then we can try to correct the problem together?"
Don't attribute personal motives
to the individual you're criticizing
Nothing is worse than suggesting that an employee acted out of malice. Employees who deliberately set out to violate policies or take improper action are rare; most people approach their positions and responsibilities with clear and proper motives. Be careful about suggesting otherwise.
Don't say:
"You undermined my project with your comments."
Do say:
"I'm sure you didn't realize the problem your comments created for me."