Truthfully, negative feedback is hard to take in. If you’re not strong hearted, you may think your boss or colleagues just don’t like what you do. But to think twice, any kind of feedback is necessary, whether positive or negative. 

You may not like the tone of the negative feedback, but it assists you to know the areas you’re weak at or your mistakes and find means of rectifying them or doing better. 

Imagine you served a client and they weren’t happy or satisfied with your services, they were disappointed and your company risks losing a deal because of you. The client reports you to your manager or boss and you are criticised, what happens next? That’s the point to own up to your mistakes and apologise.

Everyone makes mistakes but the way one reacts matters. If you react harshly, it’s a sign that you’re not ready to learn. 

Even if your colleagues or managers assess you and come to a conclusion that you’re not yet at the standard of the company as you still lack some skills, instead of getting angry, it’s advisable to ask for guidance or training to be more skilful. 

According to Aimable Nkuranga, a financial fitness coach, the workplace is where we spend most of our active time and it needs to be as comfortable as possible so that we are able to be productive. 

The comfort should be with the environment itself including interactions with workmates as well as working conditions, he says. 

Nkuranga stresses that negative feedback can be devastating if given consistently. His advice to the person receiving this kind of feedback is as follows;

"If the negative feedback is coming from your supervisor, you need to see if it’s genuine or not. If it’s intentional or not. If you realise that the feedback is genuine, you need to take a corrective action on what you did wrong. If you realise that it’s not genuine, then you need to confront the supervisor and let them know that such negative feedback is affecting you, and that you don’t see any basis for it. An honest and open dialogue around it may clear the air.”

He stresses that colleagues who are not your supervisors may also give you negative feedback and it’s always your choice to internalise what they tell you or not. Genuine negative feedback might be a call for improvement, and this needs to be welcomed by anyone who wants to grow. If not, a one -on-one conversation with your colleague about the reason for that negative feedback would be good, and if you can’t convince them, then think about ways of escalating it.

Employees aren’t the only ones who can receive feedback about their performance at work. As a manager or business leader, it’s important to receive feedback from your employees so you can understand how you’re doing and what you need to do to improve.

While every manager hopes for positive feedback, they may still receive negative feedback from time to time, and it’s how they respond to that feedback that can really make the difference, states Forbes, a business magazine.

Vennah Uwera Gakumba, a business manager stresses that the way you respond to any feedback, determines if you will ever get it again. If it’s not welcomed, the person won’t feel that their efforts to highlight your weaknesses or mistakes are appreciated. 

Allow them to air out their concern without interrupting, and thank them afterwards, however, let them know that you need time to think about it and look for possible ways to be better. Get back to them whenever you are ready and fill them in on what you are doing to improve, she adds.

For her, one should take criticism as a learning experience that can be turned into positive feedback. 

Opt for guidance from a professional coach

Gakumba says to not shy away from asking questions, because that way, you will be guided on the areas to correct your mistakes, and improve yourself. For instance, ask questions like; what areas aren’t I good at? How long have you noticed my performance? among others. 

But also, bother to know how factual the feedback is, ask that person for examples to support their comments about you; How long has this been going on? How does my behaviour affect the company? What are your suggestions for curbing this problem? and so forth.