Criticism and correction are two different things. Criticism identifies the problem. Correction provides the solution and the timeline needed to execute the improvement.
Criticism is easier than correction. Correction requires rectification. Criticism simply requires identification. For a leader, a few highly self-aware followers or subordinates can make the needed adjustments. However, for the vast majority of those subordinates, a system or plan of correction is required to improve the production, behavior or outcomes.
Criticism measures the negative gap. Correction sets a system to measure the positive growth gap needed. This is why many people want to argue with you about the criticism given while failing to make the adjustments needed to close a positive growth gap. Positive growth is far harder for most people than exploring the negative growth gap.
Why?
Closing positive gaps through correction requires humility, patience, endurance and discipline. Our society today elevates none of these qualities. Many of your employees, team members or followers have rarely had to experience delayed gratification, prolonged suffering, and systemic patience. Employers have had to adjust preexisting timelines for employees that have stripped away patience, endurance, discipline, and delayed gratification.
Correction means closing the performance gap. Criticism means identifying the performance gap. A coachable follower is one who accepts the criticism and embraces the correction.
What is coachability?
This can be a highly humbling process for the follower. The measure of humility, listening, and receptivity is demonstrative of a follower’s coachability.
As a leader don’t waste time with uncoachable people. Find the willing and coach them up. The best coaches in our world give criticism AND provide the correction in an environment where the correction can be aptly applied.
Why people have a hard time with correction is pride (the antithesis of humility) which is revealed in an issue with authority. Coachable people yield wholeheartedly to the authority of their leader and don’t argue back. A strong response from a follower when corrected demonstrates an unwillingness to accept the authority of the leader wether they are totally right or partially right. Arguing point-by-point when being corrected is evidence of an unwilling spirit and an uncoachable individual.
Leaders: When You Criticize
A leader will need to give feedback that is critical in nature to their followers at times. When giving this feedback remain neutral to slightly positive and as emtionless as possible. The follower will have emotion. Thus, if you introduce emotion as the leader you further increase not only the discomfort of the follower but the propensity for them to reveal their emotions, which only serves to cloud the atmosphere for correction. Also, provide specific personal examples w/o involving others.