Being able to take criticism, filter and apply it correctly is a definite skill.
If you are getting criticism from a coach, teacher, mentor or customers it's a good thing because if they aren't giving criticism then they've already given up on you.
Having been to a theatre/performing school for a bit as a kid. They would tell like a 10 year old that they sucked and how they could improve. The kid starts breaking down with visible tears, it's then explained that it's professional criticism. You end up building that skin, and you continue to keep progressing.
But there's a flip side to it. Criticism is often affected by a filter or lens that the other person sees through, by their past experiences, pattern recognition and world view. So you have to take that into consideration. You can be driven off path by taking everyones criticism. Here is a good quote from Jeff Bazos:
"Think Long Term - On feedback and being misunderstood: If we think we are right, then we continue.
If we are criticized for something we think we’re wrong on, we change it, we fix it. It’s really important to think about this things, but never to buckle to standard kind of pressure that forces really short term kind of thinking. It’s a competitive advantage to think long term."
- Jeff Bazos
There is not a single way or method to climb a mountain. But you'd be crazy if you didn't take the advise and criticism of others that have gone there in the past or have a deep understanding of the area.
But my personal view is that criticism should never be taken negatively.
Having been to a theatre/performing school for a bit as a kid. They would tell like a 10 year old that they sucked and how they could improve. The kid starts breaking down with visible tears, it's then explained that it's professional criticism. You end up building that skin, and you continue to keep progressing.
That's a wonderful thing to teach. It's too bad we only allow it in competitive extracurriculars (I learned it in youth sports) and never in the classroom. It's being driven out of sports in some places -- my dad is a Little League buff and has observed that the Little League culture in the town where my parents spend their summers is completely "supportive," as opposed to the youth sports culture he and I grew up with, which was pretty friendly (there were some "screamer" coaches, but I never had one) but definitely critical and competitive.
So I grew up knowing how to take criticism, but I also learned that people do not give criticism in any context other than training competitors who had voluntarily signed up for a competitive activity. In any other context, criticism meant personal hostility or a drastic message that you didn't belong or did not have what it takes to succeed. I loved playing sports and happily took a lot of criticism (I wasn't that great at any sport I played) but I felt personally attacked and humiliated when I got any other kind of criticism, because that's what I was taught it meant.
If you are getting criticism from a coach, teacher, mentor or customers it's a good thing because if they aren't giving criticism then they've already given up on you.
Having been to a theatre/performing school for a bit as a kid. They would tell like a 10 year old that they sucked and how they could improve. The kid starts breaking down with visible tears, it's then explained that it's professional criticism. You end up building that skin, and you continue to keep progressing.
But there's a flip side to it. Criticism is often affected by a filter or lens that the other person sees through, by their past experiences, pattern recognition and world view. So you have to take that into consideration. You can be driven off path by taking everyones criticism. Here is a good quote from Jeff Bazos:
"Think Long Term - On feedback and being misunderstood: If we think we are right, then we continue. If we are criticized for something we think we’re wrong on, we change it, we fix it. It’s really important to think about this things, but never to buckle to standard kind of pressure that forces really short term kind of thinking. It’s a competitive advantage to think long term."
- Jeff Bazos
There is not a single way or method to climb a mountain. But you'd be crazy if you didn't take the advise and criticism of others that have gone there in the past or have a deep understanding of the area.
But my personal view is that criticism should never be taken negatively.