Public criticism is never easy, but it can be especially difficult for leaders. The Twitter case is still a fresh example. Elon Musk’s recent faceoff with employees and Twitter customers is an extreme case. Leaders are fair game. When you are the leader of a company, you can expect that some people will not like your decisions. This is fine. It’s not up to you to please everyone. But there are ways to handle public criticism so that it doesn’t get in your way or create stress in you.
Understand that your job is not
to be perfect always. It is simply to be better than those who criticize you —
which means you need to accept their criticisms and learn from them, not use
fairness as a gauge to respond. But there are some ways to steel yourself and
respond well.
The first thing to keep in mind as
a leader is that public criticism is just as much about what people say as it
is about how they say it. If you take someone’s criticism too personally, it
can make a negative situation even worse. It’s important to remember that
people are expressing their opinions based on their observations and
experiences — not facts.
The next thing to keep in mind is
that public criticism does not always mean that someone is right or wrong about
something — just because someone feels strongly enough about an issue that they
want to share their opinion publicly doesn’t mean they are right or wrong.
Try not to let their criticism
get under your skin or make you defensive. The best way to handle this is by
acknowledging their concerns and then explaining why they are wrong (even if it
takes a while).
Accept the criticism and try to
understand why the criticism is made. Try to find some common ground. If there
are things you can agree on, try to make that connection stronger. For example,
if someone says something negative about your team (or even your product or
service), it’s important to acknowledge that this person has a point — but then
go on to explain why their opinion is wrong or incomplete. If possible, make
sure that there are those who agree with them so that they feel listened to and
heard by those in power (and answerable). If possible, offer some solutions so
that they feel like they’ve been heard and understood by those in power (and
answerable).
Accept and don’t use fairness as
a gauge to respond, Set the record straight with facts, not emotion. When it
comes to public criticism of your organization or yourself, do not respond by
attacking the messenger (or by trying to turn the tables on them). Instead,
focus on correcting any mischaracterizations or inaccuracies in their remarks
so readers can see what actually happened.
The key here is balance — making
sure that you address all sides of an issue equally. If you tell one side
nothing (with no explanation), others will assume you agree with them (which
may be true). But if you give equal weight to both sides of an argument and
explain your reasoning behind any decisions made (even if they didn't work
out), people will see.
Humility and transparency go a
long way in building the armour needed for holding your position. Hiding and
protecting oneself can make things worse while transparency favours the bold.
When people you lead are angry or frustrated and hurt, show them empathy. Don’t
gaslight your team members. If you want your team to thrive, you need to
empower them, not hold them back or try to micromanage them. You need a team
that can take ownership, and this means giving them permission to make mistakes
and not punishing them for it when they do. It also means encouraging them to
challenge themselves and their ideas, but always providing feedback in a way
that fosters growth rather than criticism. Remember your humble posture does
not convey guilt or remorse, as people often think it to be. It simply shows
that you care.
In the face of scrutiny, step
back and look for new lessons. Think of your next course of action to lead
differently. Don’t base yourself on unfounded assumptions. Leaders who embrace
their critics are not afraid to buck the traditions. But at the same time, they
take action to fix things in a proper way. Good leaders know well that people don’t
forget and they always look for what progress you have made. They know how to
come out of criticism and make their company and brand shine even stronger.