Constructive criticism is good for you!
When was the last time you asked someone to evaluate your work? In my post, Feeling Like a Fraud, I talked about doing some things that I perceived to be big, one of which was creating The Invisible Mentor Model. I have been playing with the invisble mentor concept for over five years now, and it's time to step-up and take it to the next level. At first I was apprehensive and feeling a certain amount of angst because I haven't really created a model before. I moved through the fear and created the first draft of the Invisible Mentor Model.
The steps in the model felt logical and flowed, but what do I know anyway? I decided to actually go through the process myself, and I found several gaps and was able to fill them in. But that wasn't enough, I cannot be the only person who evaluates my work, even when I try very hard to be objective – I am too close to it. So far, three people have critiqued the model and provided constructive criticism. When others constructively criticize your work, there are times when you push back and try to defend your point of view because of a knee jerk reaction. But pause for a second, and think about the feedback that you are receiving, does it make sense to you if you are being honest with yourself?
One set of feedback that I received is that the model is too detailed and I should have some questions with multiple choice responses. I was there thinking that we are living in a watered down world, where people want quick fixes and don't want to invest the time. And part of the feedback was to keep the model iself detailed, but simplify the app by including multiple choice questions. People who are detail-oriented can really get into the model and do the exercises and those who want to get to the end point more quickly can use the app. This particular reviewer also provided some other information that I would never have thought about, the kind of information that could give me a competitive advantage, which is what anyone creating something wants. Having people review and constructively criticize your work often lead to amazing new ideas.
I thought about the feedback, and what I realized is that I need two apps, a watered down version for free and the paid version for people who are serious about making a change in their life. But the other aspect of the feedback, which was an ‘aha' after the fact, is that if you take the time to create questions with multiple choice answers, that means you have to really know your stuff, which is a very good thing. I have incorporated the simple changes to my model, but now I have to revisit it from a new perspective, finding ways to incorporate multiple choice questions while not watering down my work. That's a big challenge that I am tackling. I am awaiting feedback from a few other people on The Invisible Mentor Model.
Constructive critisism is good for you because it pushes you to be better. It forces you to up your game and play in an arena for the more advanced players. Isn't that what life is about to re-invent yourself and become a better version of you? Please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below. Liked this post? Share it and subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more! If you’re new to the blog, visit the Start Here page for my pillar posts.
Author Bio: Avil Beckford, an expert interviewer, entrepreneur and published author is passionate about books and professional development, and that's why she founded The Invisible Mentor and the Virtual Literary World Tour to give you your ideal mentors virtually in the palm of your hands by offering book reviews and book summaries, biographies of wise people and interviews of successful people.
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