Handling Criticism

When I was in my 20’s, I had started a business with a good friend of mine. At that time I was not a very introspective or self reflective person. One evening he took me aside and he told me how difficult I was to work with… that I always felt that I was right when I was often wrong. It was really the first time I had taken a look at my behavior in business or how it affected other people. I realized that he was right and I worked on changing my behavior. My friend’s constructive criticism was one of the greatest gifts of my business career.

When it comes to criticism, especially from people we respect, it is important to keep an open mind. As the expression goes… when there is smoke, there’s fire, even when it comes to our own faults. Especially when we are starting out in business, it is important to have a real handle on
our strengths and weaknesses. Self knowledge is really important for success.