The Truth Doesn't Have to Hurt: How to Use Criticism to Strengthen Relationships, Improve Performance, and Promote Change

Ignoring someone’s weaknesses only turns them into big-time company problems. Always praising and reaffirming a lackluster worker never turns them into the employee of the month. But when handled carefully, criticism--honest, genuine, hard-to-hear criticism--promotes trust and respect, motivates individuals, and serves as a catalyst for change. If that sounds far-fetched, it's because few understand how to properly give and receive the kind of critical feedback that brings positive results. In The Truth Doesn’t Have to Hurt, executives, managers, team leaders--anyone whose job requires them to temper praise with a dose of reality--will learn how even they can: • Deliver the truth--and have it understood as being helpful • Create an atmosphere of acceptance • Avoid mistakes that sabotage an exchange • Control how they receive and can benefit from criticism themselves--even if it’s presented badly Yes, the truth can hurt . . . today. But not telling the truth will hurt even worse--today, tomorrow, and the next day . . . until someone realizes that well-crafted criticism can reinvigorate and stimulate, putting a turbocharge into both workplaces and careers.