Credit vs blame

Get over “blame” or “credit.” Don’t do things to look good in the eyes of others. Do what is right and be humble about it. Do not brag and do not throw others under the bus. But be gracious in accepting credit for what you have done and quick to point out the help you received along the way.

Don’t withhold feedback

Don’t withhold feedback.

Telling the truth can be really, really hard sometimes. It can be uncomfortable because you want to make other people feel good (or, you at least don’t want to make them feel bad).

But if you withhold the truth, you are actually hurting them. How can they improve what they’re doing or how they’re acting if nobody confronts them about it? What if they don’t have the awareness to realize that anything is wrong in the first place? Make the difficult decision to tell them what they need to hear, even when it’s easier to tell them what they want to hear.

Feedback vs criticism

View feedback as a shortcut to success. If you only see feedback as criticism and shut down, you will limit your growth potential. If someone is being honest with you and helping you realize what needs to be improved upon, use that to your advantage. Either way the information is still there and it is still true. You can choose to ignore it and continue to be substandard at whatever it is they mentioned, or you can do something about it. This will also reinforce others to continue to give you feedback. It may not always feel the best, but you will always know where you stand.