Were you happy with your performance today? By performance I mean of course, the quality and quantity of work that you accomplished? What happens if someone - and it doesn't matter who - gave you feedback on the work that you did. Would you accept the comments, and yes maybe criticisms that perhaps the work wasn't as good as it could have been. Or are you the kind of person who bristles with anger that anyone would dare to tell you that your work wasn't up to standard?

Everyone is of course entitled to their own opinions, and yes sometimes opiniated people can be a little less tactful than perhaps they should be, then again they wouldn't be classed as opiniated if they weren't!! But in amongst the negative clutter, there is always a chance to learn and to grow - even if it's how not to do something.

A couple of things to note:

We can always, always pick up the pace a little. Few if any of us give 110% every single day of our working lives. It's just not possible as you know. Now this is not the case of working harder and smarter, it's just that we do have moments throughout our working day that is non-productive time. Wasted phone calls, pointless emails, people stopping by the office for a chat, over long lunch breaks and meetings that never seem to end. Utilising a few of these each day will see our productivity soar.

Always respect the other person's opinion. Be polite in your response. "Hey thanks for the feedback, I appreciate you taking the time to tell me."  Because within the suggestions and criticisms of our performance lie opportunities to see if we can make a change. Of course if we feel we are doing ok, then that's fine too. But you do need to be honest with yourself. It doesn't hurt to look occassionally.

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"To avoid criticism, do nothing, say nothing, be nothing"
Elbert Hubbard
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