On the day after the Academy Awards, there is no shortage of commentary. People applaud the winners for both acting and fashion while critics criticize the stars’ outfits and sometimes their acting performances.
Underneath the outfits the celebrities need to wear thick skin. We, as leaders, need to be aware of how negativity impacts us and others.
There is a negativity bias where bad news makes a bigger impact on our brains. It stems from caveman days where it was imperative to remember what could kill us or cause us harm.
Criticism sticks. According to psychologist, Dr. Rick Hanson, the brain is like Velcro for the bad but Teflon for the good.
As a leader, do you find yourself excessively focusing on criticism as opposed to discounting or acknowledging the positive feedback?
Paying attention to the positive script will make you a winner whether you get an award or not.