Is a critic disrupting your team? Here's how to turn their negatives into positives

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As the saying goes, "everyone is critical". But people who may not understand how to communicate their criticism constructively can come across as harsh, hurting team morale, and dampening it. When the rest of the team can't see through that bite, everyone starts thinking of that person as "the critic," with nothing nice to say or positive to add. One thing I've learned is that often this person's negative style and energy doesn't match their well-meaning intentions.

When faced with criticism, you can either stoke the fire or put it out. While the critic's actions belong to them, we play a role through our response. Are you closing the person off and further alienating them? Or do you engage them, listen to their concerns, and move forward together?

There are very few unwinnable situations if we can step back from our emotions, analyze objectively, and approach people with empathy. The critic may not be pleasant to work with at first, but they may say something worth hearing, or just need a little support and guidance to communicate more. effectively. If we can defuse criticism, we can not only accomplish our goals for the project, meeting, or workshop, but we'll also leave someone better off than when we found them.

Related: 3 Ways to Handle a Negative Employee in the Office

The first step is identification. We must recognize that a critic is among us in order to respond to it and create a more productive dynamic. The critic may have many reasons for their actions, but what makes them a critic is how they express themselves in the workplace. They can dismiss ideas, disrupt meetings, and generally focus on why we "can't" do things. But that's not their whole personality: often they do it because they don't feel needed, their talents are overlooked, or they don't know how to communicate their serious concerns in a positive way.

We have to remember to have empathy for everyone. We don't know what a person is thinking or going through at any time. In order to create positives from this perceived negative, we need to lead with empathy when it comes to responding to criticism from the critic.

Related: 5 Questions to Ask Before Dealing with a Negative Team Member

When a person acts like a critic, it is assumed that they are simply an unhappy person, but that is not always the case. There are many reasons why someone might be critical, and each underlying cause needs to be addressed differently. Before stepping in to fix anything, be patient, observe the situation, and determine why the critic is acting this way.

The critic can be someone who is afraid of change: "If we change our strategies, will I still need me?" They may not yet buy into company processes and find it hard to trust those in charge. Conversely, they may have real and valid concerns but are not effective communicators.

You need to understand what you're dealing with before you decide how to act. Is someone insecure and afraid of change? Is it someone we need to work with to build trust? Or is it someone who sees something that we are all blind to? When you understand the underlying causes, you can develop a plan of action. Acting recklessly will only exacerbate the situation.

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