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Jim Citrin Leadership by Example

Jim Citrin, Leadership by Example

Getting to the Constructive Core of Criticism

by Jim Citrin

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Posted on Tuesday, April 10, 2007, 12:00AM

Imagine that you've take the initiative to develop a new client relationship, which was one of your stated objectives for the quarter.

Despite your most honorable intentions, you neglect to ascertain who else in the organization may already have a relationship with the client, and you get called on the carpet for being selfish and greedy. "I was only trying to do what was expected of me," you think.

As you move into positions of increasing responsibility and visibility, you are inevitably subjected to criticism, which can sometimes be painful. Disapproval and disparagement come with the territory when you're a leader. But how you handle it plays an important role in your professional effectiveness and personal happiness.

A Choice of Buckets

What's the best way to deal with criticism? Is it to have a thick skin and suck it up? Yes and no. The best approach is to separate the vitriol being directed at you into two buckets, one comprised of legitimate feedback and the other with information that probably says more about the criticizer than about you.

The bucket with legitimate information creates a valuable opportunity to improve and change. The other bucket is something to chalk up to being in the position you're in.

Sean Lannan, treasurer of Polaroid Corporation, is one of the calmest and most effective financial executives I've seen in action. Responsible for maintaining the liquidity and financing of the world-famous brand as the company went through bankruptcy, restructuring, and a successful corporate sale, Sean has had to deal with difficult bankers, suppliers, and highly stressed operating managers.

Dissecting Criticism

Sean told me that when he's criticized, "I go into receptive mode, realizing that I need to listen here; someone may be providing me important information.

"When someone directs a personal attack at me," he goes on, "my first action is to withdraw consciously from the situation and think, ‘What is it that they're really bringing up here? Do they have a genuine concern or do they have an agenda?' I try to hear them out and determine whether this is something that the person needs to vent or a legitimate issue to be addressed."

If it's the former, he just lets it come out and puts on his thick skin. But if it's the latter, he moves into diplomacy mode and works to figure out what needs to change.

To decide which bucket the criticism falls into, Sean tries to dissect the issue through penetrating questions to figure out what's really going on. "I often look at this as an opportunity to diffuse a tense situation," Sean says. "At a number of organizations I've been in, open criticism is not culturally acceptable, so it comes out in other ways. I try to pick the comments apart and extract the useful feedback in there."

Making It Personal

The topic of handling criticism has been building in my mind for a few weeks now. It was triggered by a couple of comments at the end of my two most recent "Leadership by Example" columns.

Here are two: "These are such fresh and innovative ideas...thank you Captain Obvious" and "So, can I write an article stating the obvious and call myself an expert? What a waste of time." I'd be lying if I said those didn't smart. Yet if I follow Sean Lannan's advice and hold myself consciously separate from such comments, my takeaway is to recognize that I need to work harder to find new angles and insights on career management.

More painful but equally valuable feedback came via one highly critical reader in a sea of otherwise positive ratings for my column "The Choice Between Wealth and What's Right." The reader wrote, "Why do I get the feeling that Citrin uses his column to publicize and stroke his consulting clients? He hasn't ever disclosed a conflict of interest so my assumption is that every single article is a thinly veiled puff piece for each of his current or prospective clients."

Dealing with the Inevitable

To address this excruciating comment, I went through the 31 columns I've posted since I first began writing "Leadership by Example" in February of last year. I discovered that of the 45 business leaders I've written about up to this point, 10 are, or have been, consulting clients.

That means that 35 have not. Nevertheless, from here on, I'll disclose whenever I cite a client of mine or my firm, Spencer Stuart, as an example.

The lesson I hope you'll take away is that personal attacks are inevitable, especially when you give unpleasant news or deliver an unpopular message. The key is to let personal attacks go when they're petty or stem from the criticizer's own frustrations or jealousies, and confront and address criticism that's legitimate and significant.

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19 Comments

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  • Yahoo! Finance User - Wednesday, April 11, 2007, 6:44PM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 4/5

    Jim, I liked your comment even though I may have known some of the information already you made several good points that I think we all need to be reminded of periodically. The best one is not to take criticism personally and to disseminate between venting and valid feedback. I think that if a person can welcome criticism and learn from it they would be considered someone who wants to be an affective Leader and not just a Manager of things. I think the best way to be an effective Leader is to be open and honest with the people around you regardless of your status. I have some experiencing dealing with criticism as a Network Operations Technical Lead at a major corporation with no official authority. It’s like putting a target on my back and letting everyone know that I’m fair game to be criticized with no worries of any official repercussions. Thanks, Jim

  • Yahoo! Finance User - Wednesday, April 11, 2007, 3:27PM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 2/5

    For every beautiful day there is a rain cloud in the distance and vice versa. Point being as follows: 1-Church Topic 2-Not Personal Finance 3-Should be common knowledge by age 12-15 4-Presentation sounds like thinking out loud. You are welcome to think of my criticism as unelegant because it is. Moreover, I understand the need for character and thought the author points out and I have no quams with that. My quam is with the 4 points above. What he wrote is what I've trained myself to think since puberty. If a managment consultant has to actually point this out I am officially cognizant and in recognition of a class deficit. What's mroe, why should the recipient of toilet talk or unrefined critizism have to weed out the valid from the chaff. I generally hold myself and other people to higher standards and have paid a price for it, that price I don not regret. Neither am I unforgiving for I understand human nature to an extent as well. In other words, the polaroid executive is not obligated to be so understanding.

  • Yahoo! Finance User - Wednesday, April 11, 2007, 1:43PM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 4/5

    Glad to see that more people have trouble receiving negative comments. It always tough to handle people who think that any comment is a personal attack rather than an attempt to resolve a technical or legal issue. Especially when they make a personal attack in a meeting and others don't call them on their inappropriate behaviour. Then after the meeting people commented one-on-one on the inappropriate comments. What do I learn? It shows me that I haven't sold my ideas or didn't sugar coat them properly and that a large percentage of people are conflict adversive. After all who else would speak up only to be on the receiving end of such vitriolic abuse? This admittedly was an extreme case. I think that I responded correctly by letting it go in the meeting but sometimes, I think that I should have cut them to pieces. Regarding comments made on Yahoo articles, I'm often disappointed at the comments that are a personal attack on the writer rather than a discussion of the issues.

  • Yevgeny - Wednesday, April 11, 2007, 1:02PM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 5/5

    Very few people are able to look at themselves objectively. You have the making of a great leader.

  • Will - Wednesday, April 11, 2007, 11:48AM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 4/5

    Thanks, this provoked some self-reflection on my part, both as one who is criticized at times, and one who criticizes. This article is a good reminder on the need to be objective and analytical about what can be emotionally charged interactions.

  • Yahoo! Finance User - Wednesday, April 11, 2007, 11:29AM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 5/5

    Excellent article, well written, and directly pertinent to the executive level of business.

  • Prometheus - Wednesday, April 11, 2007, 11:08AM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 5/5

    Accepting criticism is something few people can really do. It seems my first response is always defensive (even to valid criticism) though later when alone and reflecting on it I can see they may have been correct. Still it almost always seems that my first and immediate response is to be defensive and deny. Great article and a good reminder to all people who have a desire to consistantly improve themselves.

  • Yahoo! Finance User - Wednesday, April 11, 2007, 10:38AM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 2/5

    I dont understand how this relates to personal finance. I could assume that it may impact ones job/career but that is up to the author define not me. People are not computers and will get peeved if they are criticized so if you want to communicate an issue dont criticize your audiance, present data and speak neutrally. Dont use words like (dont, assume, up to, you need..ect) never direct the comment at your audiance but at the issue or data. Yes i do realize my opening statement was harsh thats my point and opener. I would like to see more on personal finance management or expertise in management of personal assets known and unknown. Example: timelines and strategies for maximzing assets and talents. Or geting your first good look. When and how you know to break the doors down and get ahead. Just for some personal ideas from me to you.

  • Yahoo! Finance User - Wednesday, April 11, 2007, 10:17AM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 4/5

    Usually for me the reaction comes down to who the criticism comes from. If its someone I respect, I still don't like to get criticism but I will think about it objectively later when I am in a calm mood. But if the criticism comes from someone I don't like or don't respect, I usually just take it as another jab from someone already known to be an enemy.

  • Yahoo! Finance User - Wednesday, April 11, 2007, 9:47AM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 4/5

    This is good, but the real issue is how do people hold the clarity he described in the example of the financial exec. I have consulted for 30 years and the vast majority of people automatically get defensive when give negative feedback, whether it is an agenda or meaningful is lost in the reactiveness of the receiver. This sustained clarity and calmness is quite difficult to master. And I would say most good stuff is obvious, but not in obvious practice.

  • Yahoo! Finance User - Wednesday, April 11, 2007, 9:36AM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 5/5

    Well done. Plenty of people, executives and not, respond really poorly to criticism or feedback. Those who learn from it are always better for it.

  • Yahoo! Finance User - Wednesday, April 11, 2007, 7:41AM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 5/5

    Without being critical, the intellect cannot progress. But that criticism should not come from the heart; it can come from the throat. - Sri Sri RaviShankar.

  • Yahoo! Finance User - Wednesday, April 11, 2007, 3:49AM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 1/5

    I generally like these essays but this one is so obvious it's ridiculous - what reasonable adult doesn't already have an understanding of this? Even children as young as 10 grasp it.

  • Yahoo! Finance User - Wednesday, April 11, 2007, 3:49AM ET  Report Abuse

    • Overall: 1/5

    I'm the author of last week's 'excruciating' comment. Citrin's new policy is just fine and I withdraw the flame. In fact it goes further than I would have demanded - also acceptable: a general disclaimer that some of the subjects have been clients or executive search targets. This would protect confidentiality if needed. I'm glad Citrin responded to this - his business interests are much more opaque than those of Kiyosaki, Orman (who pitch their own stuff in the sidebar). More opacity demands more disclosure. How about correcting those 10 columns to disclose conflicts? Yahoo archives may not get much traffic, but these columns might be at the top of Google results for the executives in question.

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