If you want to be a Strong Leader, then the fastest way to get there is by learning from other Strong Leaders themselves. 

Both Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos agree that this ONE PRACTICE will help you to be a Stronger Leader, and it is...

(drum roll please!) 

Be open to criticism.

Strong leaders aren’t afraid of being criticized, in fact, they welcome it!

They understand that it’s a great way to learn, to grow, and to get a pulse on what’s working
and what’s not. That said, strong leaders will listen with an open mind, but will not let critics define them.

For example:

Jeff Bezos tweeted a photo of an old magazine cover that predicted Amazon's demise.

Along with that photo, this was his response:

"Listen and be open, but don't let anybody tell you who you are. This was just one of the many
stories telling us all the ways we were going to fail. Today, Amazon is one of the world's most
successful companies and has revolutionized two entirely different industries."

Strong leaders also understand that there is significant difference between being generally criticized and being critiqued in a well-thought-out fashion.

Here's another example:

Here is what Elon Musk said in an interview:

"Constantly seek criticism. A well-thought-out critique of whatever you're doing is as valuable as
gold and you should seek that from everyone you can but particularly your friends.... Basically, you should take the approach that you're wrong. That you, the entrepreneur, are wrong. Your goal is to be less wrong."

Being open to ALL criticism is essential because until we hear the criticism, we won’t know whether there is a valuable, well-thought-out critique in there.

Let’s clear the air on the difference between criticism and critique.

Criticism finds fault, whereas critique looks at structure.

Criticism looks for what’s lacking, whereas critique finds what’s working.

Criticism tends to be self-serving, whereas critique tends to genuinely want to help.

Criticism is usually vague and generalized, whereas critique is specific and concrete.

Criticism typically condemns what it doesn’t understand, whereas critique asks for clarification.

Criticism is more often negative, whereas critique, even if it’s about what isn’t working, is more
often positive.

Why not praise?

Why is criticism better?

Praise feels good! We all love praise, but praise, if it’s honest, usually just reaffirms a job well done. And that is valuable and we must do it, but it doesn’t usually offer growth or an idea of how to make things
even better.

It’s also important to note that if the praise isn’t honest, it can just be well disguised flattery, which can bring upon a false sense of “everything is great!”

Criticism, on the other hand, grabs our attention!

It keeps us on our toes!

It gives us a perspective other than just our own.

It’s that other perspective that truly opens our mind to what others are thinking, feeling, wanting, and needing.

That allows us and our organization to potentially grow in ways we might never have thought of before.

Can being criticized hurt our feelings?

Of course, it can!

We’re human beings, not machines!

That’s why in addition to listening to the criticism with an open mind, we also listen with both a grain of salt and a filter.

A strong leader filters the criticism with the grains of salt, finding the well-thought-out critique, and limits the hurt feelings.

Strong leaders don’t take criticism “personally.” They take criticism as an opportunity to grow.

How can you grow into a Strong Leader from criticism?

Here are 4 tips:

1. Have a “How can we improve?” mindset.

When someone tells you how great you are, how great your company is, how great your product or service is, thank them, and then always ask, “How can we improve? How can we do better?” Then, before they answer, say, “Please, I welcome your honest feedback.”

2. Genuinely listen to understand, not to defend. 

Listen A LOT and talk very little. You already know and understand your own perspective, but not theirs. And when you say, “Please, I welcome your honest feedback” you must genuinely be open to their honest feedback. If you need to, ask follow-up questions, they’ll sure appreciate that you’re taking their feedback seriously. If you try to defend instead of genuinely listening to their point of view, the likelihood of them ever giving you honest feedback again will be gone.

You don’t have to like their feedback, or even agree with it, but take it all in with an open mind. When done, graciously thank them for taking the time to help you. Remember, they didn’t have to.

3. If the criticism makes sense, change. 

Let it marinate in your thoughts, so you can truly understand where they are coming from and then determine if it makes sense to make a change. If it does, take responsibility and ownership of what went wrong. Remember, you’re the leader, the captain of the ship, so don’t shift blame, just course correct.

4. Don’t get angry if you don’t agree with the criticism. 

Some people are just jerks and have nothing better to do than to criticize without any thought of saying something that might help. Don’t even waste your energy by trying to justify yourself to them. It might just escalate the situation, and time is just too precious of a commodity to waste it on people that are not there to help you and your organization grow. If you just can’t get past it, then use their criticism as fuel to inspire and motivate you to kick even more successful ass in your industry.

If you and your team need help developing the skills necessary to become strong leaders, don’t hesitate to reach out to us here at Jasper Dynamic.

We’re here for you and we’re always here to help!

Cheers!

-Claudio Capra II, CEO; Cofounder of Jasper Dynamic, LLC