Photo credit: Taken by Office of United States Rep. Ellen Tauscher under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.
There is no easy part in being a leader. People trust, respect, and look up to you. Most of all, they expect a lot from you. Though being a leader also comes with great rewards and fulfillment, it is inevitable to have people who will just keep on criticizing what you have done. Instead of cooperating, they will do everything just to stop you from accomplishing anything. Transforming your critics to believers is such a huge challenge, but it is something that you need to deal with. Here are 5 easy tips that you can take into consideration:
Know that Praises and Criticisms Don’t Determine Success
Though it is important to take into considerations some critics and make use of them to improve yourself, you have to realize that what other people say won’t necessarily determine your success as a leader. In the same way, if you are praised often, it will also not always make you succeed in your endeavors. Just look at some successful scientists like Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison. Along the way, they have received lots of praises and criticisms. Yet, they did not put too much importance in any of these words, and they ended up successful anyway.
Don’t Justify Yourself
When people criticize you and say that you are not good enough, your first reaction would be to think of what you have done and make justifications. This action does not help in any way. Just take into account all these words and recall everything that you have done so far. Be open to even criticizing your own work as well. Avoid being defensive as it will just make your critics hate you more.
Appeal to Emotional Responses
As a leader, you might be concerned on how to make rational decisions and be able to explain your actions. Sometimes, being rational does not cut it. You also have to appeal to their emotions. Instead of fighting head on with your critics and argue that your solution is the best, just encourage them to do their best, be creative and persistent. According to Marcus Buckingham, a notable author, the emotions of the people in the organization are its core strength.
Be Confident
One of the reasons why you are always being criticized as a leader is because you don’t feel confident about yourself. They may see you as a very weak person who may be shaken with the slightest critiques. Of course, there are also those “vultures” that are willing to take over your place as soon as they have proven that they are better than you are. However, if you display confidence (without being arrogant), people will believe in you. They will trust you and your decisions. Besides, how can you be confident in your plans for the people if you are not even confident that you are a good leader in the first place?
Accept Mistakes
According to Benjamin Franklin, “Do not fear mistakes. You will know failure. Continue to reach out.” A good leader acknowledges mistakes. The point is not to repeat the same mistake and learn from these mistakes to be better.
It takes a lot to be a leader. People will always pick on you and criticize you. Being able to overcome these challenges and still come out gracefully is a testament of how good a leader you are.