Seriously…that sucks.
How do you say that, give the honest truth, and do so without upsetting someone, losing your job, etc?
Phill Cooke wrote a post about losing a potential client because they new he would be honest
…he ultimately decided not to invite us in for a meeting. Surprised, the marketing director asked why. The leader responded, “Because Phil is brutally honest, and I don’t think we’re ready for that.”
I don’t think sugarcoating will produce excellence. The path of least resistance will be easy to travel, but will it take you to where you really want to go? Of course the title of this post isn’t how I’d bring the news…but even with lots of love how do I tell you that you shouldn’t be designing and not hurt your feelings?
See, telling someone what they are doing isn’t up to par is hard. The problem often lies in the emotional connection they have to the work, to the video, to the logo, to the preaching…etc. We aren’t just critiquing the work, we are critiquing the worker. That’s why it begins with relationship and continues with choosing the right battles at the right time.
What if we…
I think that’s a powerful phrase. It reminds us that we work as a team and it focuses on the work and the end result.
How about you? How do you give criticism, how do you take it?
