DEAR WW: I would like to make suggestions on how to improve things at work, but I don’t want to get the reputation as a troublemaker or whiner. Is there a way to offer criticism and not look like a jerk?    – CRITICAL THINKER

DEAR CRITICAL: Your email reminded me of a guy who stole a fire-department rescue boat in Nashville, Tenn. Just as police were closing in on him the thief jumped overboard. He drowned, because there were no rescue people immediately on the scene to save him. He had stolen their boat.    

Workplace criticism is like those rescue workers. You want people to be in a position to do something after they hear your criticism. I’ve listed some strategies below. For more, check out The Art of Constructive Criticism by Hoover and DiSilverstro (Wiley, 2005).

Control your emotions. I’ll admit, I’m a big-passion guy at work. I often wear my emotions on my sleeve (and every other part of my clothing, according to the people I’ve worked with). But when it comes to criticism, it’s important to be calm and collected as you offer it. Why? Because chances are the criticism itself will get their attention; adding an emotional outburst tends to turn people off.

Act professionally. The classic example is not to criticize your boss during a staff meeting. Professionalism dictates that whenever you criticize “up” that you do it in private. Making a business case also involves bringing along evidence to support your claims. Your intuition is important, but it’s usually not enough.

Define your expectations. The easiest way to blow off criticism is when we believe that it is unrealistic. So it’s important to be sure that your critique is grounded in reality. Explain what your expectations are going in and be prepared to defend them. This is the best way that I know to get everyone working off the same page.

Keep things positive. The surest way to keep people listening as you offer criticism is to bring along both the problem and a solution to address it; even better, a couple of solutions so they can explore a range of options. Sure, this isn’t always possible, but the key is to avoid dwelling on the critique, and focus efforts on trying to reduce or eliminate the problem.

Give ground. People don’t tend to get behind people for whom it’s their way or the highway. Yet many of us forget this and push single-mindedly for our own solution. I’ve found that it not only helps to gain support to incorporate ideas from others, it usually makes for a better solution when more minds get involved.

Use these tips and criticize away, just stop short of going overboard with what you say. Because you may eventually want someone to jump in to help you.     

from Walker Information

Which of the following do you see at work?

• Unfair treatment of employees............51%
• Lying on reports or falsifying records....41%
• Stealing or theft................................36%
• Lying to supervisors...........................34%
• Conflicts of interest............................33%
  

from WorkingWounded.com

When do you offer criticism at work?

• Are you crazy? Never........12%
• Rarely............................56%
• Often.............................32%
  

Our winning strategy for offering criticism at work comes from K.G. in Hopkinton, Mass: “My strategy for giving people criticism at work is to put the focus on the other person’s goals, not mine. In general, I’ve found that it’s much easier to get people to think about their own needs and change their behavior to benefit themselves than it is to get people to think about my needs and change their behavior to benefit me.

I would try to say: ‘I remember you saying that you really wanted to accomplish ABC goal this year, and I think I know of a way that you can reach that goal more quickly/easily. I’ve noticed that when you do X, you always seem to get Y result from our team, and I know that’s not moving you toward ABC goal. I wonder, next time, would you be willing to try doing Z instead of X? Here’s why I think Z will work better for you than X...”’