5. DISCARD THE CRUD
Even if you find some truth in what they said, own what you can and reply graciously and relationally, sometimes there’s still crud in the mix.
Discard it.
Here’s my theory on how to handle your critics: 95 percent of the conflict in your organization has nothing to do with your organization.
Your critic might have just had a huge fight with his daughter before he sat down at the keyboard to blast you. Your critic might simply be an angry person who has issues stapled to her issues. And you got an unfair shot. Or he may be someone who’s simply angry at the world.
We can’t make the assumption that all our critics are crazy, frustrated or need counseling. That’s an easy crutch too many leaders lean on.
But sometimes good people say and do bad things. And sometimes the blast comes with zero basis in reality.
When that happens, you need to let the crud go. You’ve owned as much as you can of it, so let the rest fall away.
Pray about it. Talk to friends about it. Grieve the hurt (seriously…do this) and then let it go. Don’t carry today’s baggage into tomorrow.
This article on how handle your critics originally appeared here.
