Self-critical thinking is a competence of intrapersonal intelligence that shows the ability to reflect on our own actions and behaviors and to judge them in order to make corrections or eliminate detected errors.
The person with high critical thinking periodically conducts an introspection exercise to evaluate the impact of their actions and makes adjustments in their behavior based on those analyses. In the same way, he willingly accepts the observations and criticisms of others, implements actions to improve, and is willing to apologize to others or acknowledge when he has made a mistake or offense.
In this sense, two types of self-criticism can be differentiated: positive and negative. Positive or constructive critical thinking serves us for something positive. It makes us move forward, learn from mistakes and improve. It drives us and our teams to grow and incorporate learning from experiences and behaviors that haven’t yielded the results we wanted.
In constructive critical thinking we focus on behavior and the impact or result of that behavior, avoiding judging, blaming or embarrassing ourselves or our teams and taking care of our self-esteem or that of our teams without harming ourselves. We can also think of behavioral options or alternatives that can help achieve the desired goals. This positive critical thinking competence is therefore related to other competencies such as compassion, the development of others, confidence and result orientation.
On the other hand, negative critical thinking involves destructive criticism, which serves no useful purpose, but to ridicule or paralyze us. This case is usually characterized by the use of derogatory language, which generalizes the behavior by associating it with the person’s worth, with negative, harsh language or language that does not encourage improvement or action, without offering realistic options or helping in a comprehensive way.
HOW CAN I TRAIN MY SELF-CRITICAL THINKING?
• Think of a complex situation or conflict in which you are immersed. Reflect on your performance in that process and identify and write down in a column what you think you have done well, what have been actions you have taken that have helped move forward or have had a positive impact on the situation. In the next column, write what actions you’ve taken that haven’t had the impact or result you hoped for, and that haven’t been positive for others.
What do you identify that you could have done better?
What could be improved, the background or the shapes you used?
How do you think you could have a better outcome next time?
What do you want to do differently from now on?
What do you realize with this reflection?
• Reflect on how you usually react to the criticism you receive in your professional day-to-day life.
What do you say to yourself in those situations where you don’t get the results you expect?
Do you use kind, understanding language and trust in your ability to improve?
On the other hand, do you use very harsh and self-demanding language with yourself?
It is important to become aware of what your internal language is, since excessive destructive self-criticism has devastating effects on us, we can suffer from anxiety, anguish, anger, low self-esteem or feelings of failure. Take care and pay attention to your internal narrative.
• Also reflect on how you criticize other people or your collaborators.
Is your purpose to provide them with feedback so that they can develop and improve?
Do you use language in which that purpose is clear?
As a team leader, remember these points for effective constructive criticism:
Focus on the specific behavior that the person can correct, sharing with them the impact their behavior has on you or others and how you feel about it.
o Define realistic goals to help that person in their development.
Choose an appropriate time and place to have that conversation, (privately).
o It helps to look for alternatives, options to improve.
Remember to listen empathetically and compassionately to the person’s emotions and opinions.
“Remember to continue developing your talent to reach your best version”
