Accurate external feedback plays a critical role in the development and improvement of an individual. Criticism, both positive and negative, plays a role in self-development. Delivering feedback is essential, but I feel a person should be receptive to handling negative feedback constructively as a leader. Being the CEO of NETSOL Technologies, I receive feedback from a diverse set of people and I would like to share with you how I handle negative feedback/comments.

1. Realize they don’t know you
It does not matter if you are a public figure, 9 to 5 office goer, or a college student. We all, at some point, face criticism. We must understand that the people who are giving negative feedback do not know us well. Every coin has two sides, and it is quite possible that the person is aware of only one side and therefore has a skewed perspective. In other words, don’t make it personal. I received all kinds of comments on my social media channels. If I started to take things personally I wouldn’t be able to focus on anything in life!

2. Empathize with them
Usually, we do not know what a person is going through, what they are suffering, or why they behave negatively. Saying something means about anyone is not necessarily an intrinsic quality. At the heart of the matter is some level of unhappiness or disappointment. Instead of responding to negativity with negativity, we must try to get inside other person’s shoes and empathize with them. Show compassion, and eventually, it will come back to you.

3. Remember the “Big Picture”
The bigger picture of every story must be taken under consideration while giving feedback. It is general practice to focus on what’s right in front while ignoring the peripherals. We share feedback based on the current situation and either ignore or are not aware of the background. It is necessary that before saying anything negative about anyone, we first analyze the big picture.

– Be Confident
Self-Confidence is important when it comes to handling negative feedback. Have faith in your own abilities. A person who lacks self-confidence is confused and sensitive to negative criticism and failure. Being self-confident does not always correlate with being successful but it strengthens an individual to handle negative feedback positively.