How to Be a Better Human – How to Love Criticism | WorkLife with Adam Grant

Intro

In this episode of the “How to Be a Better Human” podcast, host Adam Grant explores the topic of loving criticism and its potential for personal and professional growth. He interviews Karen Rau, who shares his experience of being ranked as the worst manager in a meeting. The episode delves into the importance of being open to criticism, the benefits of radical transparency, and the role of feedback in self-improvement.

Main Takeaways

Embracing Criticism for Growth

• Receiving criticism can be soul-crushing, but it can also be an opportunity for growth.
• Studies show that people who are open to criticism are more successful and creative.
• Learning to love criticism involves changing our mindset and viewing it as a chance to learn and improve.
• Our ego can become defensive and censor what we hear when we receive criticism.
• Criticism is necessary for improvement.

The Power of Radical Transparency

• Bridgewater Associates has a culture of radical transparency where every criticism and opinion is out in the open.
• Ray Dalio started Bridgewater Associates after a bad bet that tanked his firm and taught him the importance of humility and seeking out dissenting opinions.
• Being open to criticism and stress testing opinions can lead to better decision-making.
• Bridgewater Associates is considered the most successful hedge fund in the world due to their unique culture.
• Bridgewater goes to the extreme on criticism, believing it leads to better decision-making.

The Challenge Network and Feedback

• Every single one of the 2,000 employees at Bridgewater Associates is expected to put criticism out in the open, even if the billionaire founder is the target.
• Bridgewater is one big challenge network, where colleagues push each other to get better.
• A challenge network is the group of people that you trust to push you to get better, to tell you the stuff you don’t want to hear, but need to hear.
• The feedback sandwich (praise, criticism, praise) is not an effective way to give criticism, instead be humble and state your intention to be helpful.
• Seeking and accepting criticism is like exercise, it’s uncomfortable but beneficial.

The Benefits of Self-Reflection and Evaluation

• Objective feedback is important as we can’t always gauge our own performance.
• Bridgewater’s radical transparency culture involves recording almost every meeting for constant learning and improvement.
• Radical transparency is designed to combat office politics and encourage honest communication.
• Criticism is tough love and helps us understand what we do well and what we can improve on.
• Evaluating yourself on how well you take feedback is a habit to develop.

Summary

Embracing Criticism for Growth

Receiving criticism can be challenging, but it is also an opportunity for personal and professional growth. Studies show that individuals who are open to criticism are more successful and creative. By changing our mindset and viewing criticism as a chance to learn and improve, we can harness its potential for growth. It is important to be aware of our ego’s defensive tendencies, which can hinder our ability to truly hear and benefit from criticism. Embracing criticism as a necessary tool for improvement can lead to personal and professional development.

The Power of Radical Transparency

Bridgewater Associates, the most successful hedge fund in the world, has built a culture of radical transparency. Every criticism and opinion is openly discussed, regardless of hierarchy. This approach was inspired by the founder, Ray Dalio, who learned the importance of humility and seeking dissenting opinions after a major failure. Bridgewater believes that radical transparency leads to better decision-making. By encouraging open criticism and stress testing of opinions, the company fosters an environment of continuous improvement and innovation.

The Challenge Network and Feedback

Bridgewater Associates operates as a challenge network, where colleagues push each other to improve. This network consists of individuals who provide honest feedback, even if it is uncomfortable to hear. The feedback sandwich, which includes praise, criticism, and praise, is not an effective way to deliver criticism. Instead, being humble and stating the intention to be helpful is more impactful. Seeking and accepting criticism, although uncomfortable, is akin to exercise – it may be challenging in the moment, but it leads to growth and improvement.

The Benefits of Self-Reflection and Evaluation

Objective feedback is crucial as we often struggle to accurately assess our own performance. Bridgewater’s radical transparency culture includes recording meetings for continuous learning and improvement. This practice combats office politics and encourages honest communication. Criticism, viewed as tough love, helps us identify our strengths and areas for improvement. Developing a habit of evaluating ourselves on how well we receive feedback is essential. By being open to feedback and actively seeking ways to improve, we can demonstrate our willingness to grow and develop.

Conclusion

Learning to love criticism and embracing radical transparency can lead to personal and professional growth. By changing our mindset, being open to feedback, and seeking out dissenting opinions, we can improve decision-making and foster an environment of continuous improvement. Criticism, when viewed as an opportunity for growth, becomes a valuable tool for self-reflection and evaluation. By embracing criticism and actively seeking ways to improve, we can become better individuals and professionals.