Criticism

Dale Carnegie said, "Unjust criticism is often a disguised compliment. It often means that you have aroused jealousy and envy. Remember that no one ever kicks a dead dog." Most people are more willing to dish out criticism rather than accept it graciously. In business and sales, we have to be willing to seek constructive criticism to help us improve. However, we should be slow to offer unsolicited criticism to people who did not ask for it. Frankly, we do not want advice from people we do not like or respect. The more you try to accomplish, the more you will be criticized. Dave Ramsey addresses this topic in his new book EntreLeadership. In spite of the scores of people who have been helped by Dave's material and the continuous stream of people on his radio show shouting, "I'm Debt Free!", he can still bale his hate mail. Dave quotes Aristotle, "There is only one way to avoid criticism: do nothing, say nothing and be nothing." As hard as I try, it is difficult to ignore the constant bombardment of political commentary and more recently the criticism and media attention of Tim Tebow. I watched with interest as Tim saw the thrill of victory against the Steelers and a crushing defeat against the Patriots. I was impressed by this young man's character and grace in both scenarios. After the defeat, he was seen in the tunnel spending time with a young man named Zachary McLeod who suffered a severe traumatic brain injury while playing high school football. When asked about his cultural explosion, Tebow said, "I have the opportunity to be able to hang out with Zack before the game, I have the opportunity to go build a hospital in the Philippines, to go do a lot more important things than football. So I'm very thankful for that platform. I wouldn't change it for anything." "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? ~ Matthew 7:3 "Criticism of others is futile and if you indulge in it often you should be warned that it can be fatal to your career." ~ Dale Carnegie Have a great week! Pierce