A rejection is nothing more than a necessary step in the pursuit of success - Bo Bennett
Every person who has been employed at any point in time is well aware of the fact that praise and criticism are two sides of the same coin. Praise is something of an aphrodisiac. It makes us confident of our abilities. While we always aspire to do well in our careers, there may be instances where we make mistakes or pick the wrong path. This inevitably leads to criticism and negative feedback.
Since our careers are pretty much our identities, any negative feedback at work tends to affect us on a personal front. Criticism at work can be a direct blow to our self-esteem. Rejection at work, a poor performance appraisal or office gossip - they tend to leave us feeling low and depressed. However, it is not the end of the world. A little perspective will help us make the best of the conundrum we find ourselves in.
Keep your professionalism intact
Retaliating is the last thing that should be on our mind at this moment. As appealing as it may sound, never hand the critics a list of their faults and shortcomings. It only makes us look petty, insecure and incapable of dealing with idle talk. The last thing we ought to do is give them all the more reason to justify their criticism. It is better to step back, take a few deep breaths and face the situation with your head held high.
Take it in your stride
Going on the defensive mode should never be an option. Making excuses and giving half-baked reasons only weakens our case. The best thing to do is to keep an open mind and objectively listen to the criticism being thrown at us. If the criticism is true, we should be willing to learn from the feedback we have received. We must never reject the feedback as soon as we get any. We must maintain an openness to learn from the criticism.
Manage your emotions
It is obvious that we would feel badly on hearing negative feedback. However, we must not let emotions cloud our judgment and rationale. If the other person knows us to be susceptible to emotional outbursts, this may affect their feedback and criticism, and we may not get the real picture as it is. This will prove detrimental to any form of performance improvement or second chances.
Remember…
Rejection is faced by those who attempt to get things done. We are miles ahead of the people who do not make efforts in the first place out of fear of being rejected. This spirit must be kept intact. Learning from the incident is what we should focus on. Great people like Edison and Einstein have faced rejection at some point or the other in their lives. Did this stop them from achieving greatness? No.
Make the most of the situation. This is a position from where one can only move forward. Make a genuine effort to collect feedback and gather information pertaining to our flaws. Discuss with the manager and coworkers who are willing to point out our shortcomings and give us suggestions of how to improve. Begin making the necessary changes.
Minimize future rejection
Communicating with the right people is very essential in this case. Make sure that the appropriate people know of the steps that you take to improve. Talk to the manager about the action plan that you will implement to ensure that such a situation never arises again. Enhancing our reputation after such an incident is solely in our hands. We must be open to suggestions from people who have our best interests at heart. Prompt implementation is the most essential step towards rebuilding our reputation.
Talk to your loved ones
There is a reason we have family and friends. Open up to them; say out loud what’s on your mind. Share with them the reasons responsible for your uneasiness. Solace and sympathy go a long way in making us feel a lot better. Just make sure you don’t overdo the whining.
Rejection is an unfortunate event that we may have to face as part of our daily lives. However, it is absolutely up to us whether we wish to sail through it unscathed and improved, or take the rough route. (Work Life, MensXP.com)
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