One of the main reasons that I cherish the time I get to work alone is that I don’t have to take input from anybody else. I admit it; I would rather sail through my working world without having to take criticism or have to hear about my flaws and shortcomings at all. I figure I beat myself up enough that I just don’t want to hear what other people think too! HOWEVER, we inevitably have to take constructive (and not-so-constructive) criticism and there can be some very positive things that come from taking a good look at how other people see our shortcomings.
In my more traditional jobs, I have actually gained some pretty good insight from annual reviews and other situations where people shared their criticism and pointed out my shortcomings. Sure, I did not always want to hear it and there were some things I did not agree with—but there were also areas where I was able to do some personal work to make improvements once they had been identified by someone else. I might not have recognized them myself and am now grateful to have had the critique.
The truth is, if we are going to be in business—we are going to get feedback from our customers, clients, vendors, etc. We actually want this feedback because it will help us stay in touch with our market, and to make improvements to the business which will, in turn, make us more competitive and successful as business people. It just takes some practice and work to be able to take that criticism and hear about our shortcomings—without taking it personally or getting hurt or aggravated. After all, if you are anything like me—you might actually be harder on yourself than anyone else might be!
Also: When You Are an Unsatisfied Customer