Here's how you can navigate feedback and criticism from your boss.

Adopt the Right Mindset Stay Open-Minded: Approach feedback with a positive and open mindset, seeing it as an opportunity to learn and improve. Separate Personal from Professional: Understand that feedback is about your work, not you as a person. 2. Listen Actively Pay Attention: Focus on what your boss is saying without interrupting or becoming defensive. Take Notes: Write down key points to remember and review later. 3. Seek Clarification Ask Questions: If something is unclear, ask for specific examples or clarification to better understand the feedback. Summarize Understanding: Repeat back what you heard to ensure you have accurately understood the feedback.

Active listening is key. Maintain a receptive and an open mindset. Let the boss paint the complete picture. It will help to understand where (s)he is coming from. Maintain a receptive and an open mindset. Capturing key points will be a good idea but take permission first. Categorise the feedback in 3 parts - What was the "situation" / context, what was my "behaviour" and "feedback" from the boss.

Take notes as part of demonstrating active listening. Emphasis, again, would be on objectivity when doing this. The notes taken should help us with our improvement plans and actions.

Key tip would be to REGULARLY SELF-REFLECT. A simple way to do this is by doing SWOT Analysis (strengths, weaknesses, threats, opportunities). I particularly focus a lot more on the weaknesses part, as this is the part I should be focusing more on improving asap. I do SWOT to myself and I also ask my peers or my team members to evaluate me. So it’s a 360-degree feedback. By doing this, it usually would cover almost all constructive feedback towards me. So when my boss comes up to me, I wouldn’t be so surprised anymore because I am already self-aware and been doing things to improve on those.

Receiving criticism from your boss can be tough, but it is also a perspective of a chance to learn and improve, not a setback. . Keeping a growth mindset, taking it as a chance to improve. Stay calm and listen actively. . Get involved: Ask questions, acknowledge the feedback, and discuss solutions. Take ownership and develop a plan with clear goals. . Follow-up to show progress: Take action, update the boss, and demonstrate commitment. Reflect beforehand to prepare for a thoughtful discussion. By approaching feedback with a positive attitude and a willingness to learn, use it to become a stronger, more well-rounded professional.

Asking for clarification is a valuable tool. It allows you to obtain better insights. Clear communication is key. A gap in communication can occur on either side. This could be due to information not being fully conveyed or perhaps being misinterpreted. By now you will have the key points which caused such a feedback. Seek advice on what could have been done differently. Don't get swayed by emotions and focus on understanding. There is no merit in proving yourselves right under the cover of clarifying a doubt. So best to avoid these.

No one likes to hear that they aren’t doing a fantastic job. And it’s hard to digest and respond appropriately in the moment you are getting that critique. The best thing to do is listen and remain calm, then ask your manager to digest and reflect on the conversation, then to come back to them with your response and a plan a couple of days later. That will prevent you from getting overly emotional or being unprofessional, and give you time to think about the feedback, what you agree: disagree with, why that’s the perception, and some ideas on how you can turn things around. You will also be calm and prepared and more in problem solving mode when you come back to them, making it an easier conversation where you can shine.

Here you stand at the cross roads. The criticism will contain both the elements - positive and negative. Try to find areas for improvement. Don't leave the opportunity to make yourselves better prefiessional. Quite a number of times ego kicks in making the situation counter productive, so keep it under check.

Improvement plan will help you to lay a course of action and measure progress. It is not be a bad idea to discuss it with your boss. This will help to further clarify the expectations and convey the notion that you are working constructively on the feedback. And now since you and your boss are together in this journey, in case similar instances come to notice your boss is going to be more reasonable as s(he) knows you are working on it.

Keeping the line of communication open through the journey is a great idea as your boss will keep mentoring you through the stages. Always remember that timelines are important and it is important to adhere to them.

Maintaining composure is easier said than done when you’re discussing an important topic, isn’t it! ;) That’s why it’s important to continuously develop your resilience skills, while you’re in a good headspace, with manageable pressure. How? - Expose yourself to uncertainty - Build a growth mindset (google: Carol Dweck) - Try various new ways of doing things That way, when something hits you or your emotions start taking over it will be easier to regain composure. And if you get caught in the moment - make sure you stay grounded with both feet flat on the floor even if you sit. Then breathe in for 3, hold breath for 3, breathe out for 3 counts. Repeat. Breath is a powerful tool in helping us with retaining composure in stressful moments.

Preparation is key. Before attending the meeting make sure that you are in the right headspace, have enough time for a fruitful discussion, and have your goals and current running (MTD/QTD/YTD) handy for data driven clarifications and/or alignments.