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.