Taking Criticism

One of the hardest things to do in any job is to take criticism. Sometimes, that criticism is persecution for being Christian, for being different than everyone else. Jesus tells us to expect this because he was persecuted for being different. Other times, criticism focus on job-related tasks or performance. When the criticism is undeserved, we feel cheated or disrespected. Even when the criticism is deserved, we may feel embarassed or angry about the attention. Two key parts of my job as a professor are teaching and research, and both subject me to criticism. It's almost impossible to please all the students in a class while still maintaining rigor. Student evaluations at the end of the year, even good ones, rarely indicate perfect scores. There's always something. Part of publishing academic research is listening to feedback from peers, feedback that always includes criticism and may often involve substantial rejects. Whatever your job, you can be sure that you'll face criticism at some point.

If you face criticism in your job, take these steps. First, remember that Jesus was perfect but he was still criticized. He knows what you're going through. Second, remember that God's opinion is the only one that counts. Work to please Him. Third, if you've done something wrong or below standards, fix it. Remember to work as if working for God. Be honest with yourself. Could your work have been better? Fourth, regardless of whether the criticism is deserved or not, do your best to not respond in anger or defensiveness. Think back to the first two steps. Jesus was criticized also and God's opinion is all that counts. Finally, use that as an opportunity to think about how you communicate with others. How often do you criticize others? When you do so, is it constructive. And does it come across as constructive?