by Ron Perry

The phrase “constructive criticism” is an interesting paradox. The word constructive implies that something is being built up or made better, while criticism has the idea of tearing something down piece by piece. Many managers have found themselves across the desk from someone who specializes in criticism. Some of the most frequent criticizers are actually the people who are most valuable to your team. They are people from the trench who see things from a completely different angle than the manager does, and that other perspective is what enables the manager to take criticism and make it constructive.

The natural response to criticism is to criticize back, to justify our actions, or to prove that we did not make a mistake. The goal for a manager in ministry is to make sure that his first response is a right one. Proverbs 18:13 says, “He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.” To rattle off a quick response can sometimes be our biggest failure. We can learn much from the situation Moses experienced in Numbers 20. The Israelites were complaining and verbally attacking Moses about lack of water. Contrary to God’s command, Moses struck the rock in frustration rather than speaking to the rock. When God dealt with Moses, He did not address Moses’ anger, as we would expect. Instead, He punished Moses for not sanctifying Him before the people.

The first lesson we can learn from this story is this: when we find ourselves under the gun of criticism, our flesh is capable of disobeying God. We can say words, hurl accusations, and do things that dishonor God and bring harm to those we serve. As the criticism begins, we should make it a habit to quietly pray for God’s grace to respond biblically. The second lesson is that the goal for each of us is to respond in a way that sanctifies God. The word sanctify means “to set one apart.” We should always seek to have God set apart and revered in the response we give to criticism. One way to do this is to listen carefully to the critical person and then say, “Thank you for coming and talking to me about this. I am glad that you want this to be done right just like I do.” Thankfulness and acknowledgement of his desire for things to be done right can disarm the criticizer and calm him down. If the manager begins his response with a defensive position that protects himself, he is in danger of setting himself apart, instead of God. God’s glory ought to always be our goal, even in the arena of criticism.

So how can a manager turn criticism into something constructive?

Allow the criticism to reveal that something could be improved. One of the manager’s jobs is to keep things moving forward, and criticism often reveals where that needs to happen.

Turn the criticism into a tool for building teamwork. The average critical person is simply a concerned person who wants to see his organization improve. He may lack tact; but in his heart, he desires improvement. A manager should grasp hold of that desire for improvement and use it as a catalyst to include that person in the solution. Recently in my church, a number of people came to me about the cleanliness of our church. At the time, one guy was doing all of the cleaning and setup and was getting swamped. Out of those discussions with people came one person who had a desire to start a church cleaning sign-up list and begin recruiting help. In the last few months, our church has never been cleaner; and the bulk of the work has been done by those who first came with the concerns. Their concerns motivated them to help with the solution.

Use the criticism to show his team that he listens to them. Even if the criticism is completely unjust, a manager who closes a conversation with the critical person by saying to him, “You have pointed out some things we can improve. Here’s what I’d like to do,” and then gives a specific example on how he plans to improve something, will show the teammate that the manager is human and not above those around him. This kind of a response also sets a wonderful example for those who work for him. Criticism is tough! But even if it is unjust, the manager who responds well can turn all criticism into constructive criticism.