Stop Taking Work Personally and Start Growing Professionally

applicable practices emotional endurance heather mcgonigal leadership reputation leadership skills self leadership

Business hands sharing feedback. Star rating by business professional. - Empowering Leadership Teams

"Building self-awareness allows you to separate professional feedback from personal worth."

I still remember the moment everything changed in my approach to workplace feedback. It was during a particularly challenging project review, and my team's work was being critiqued. As usual, I felt my defenses rising, that familiar knot forming in my stomach. But then something different happened.

Instead of immediately reacting, I paused. What if this wasn't personal at all? What if this feedback was simply about the work, not about me as a person? That simple shift in perspective changed everything.

"Feedback feeds leadership development and creates opportunities for growth when received professionally."

Like many professionals, I'd spent years taking every piece of feedback personally. Each critique felt like a judgment of my worth, each suggestion for improvement like evidence of my inadequacy. It was exhausting, and worse, it was holding me back from real growth.

The truth is, most of us want to succeed in our roles. We're committed to doing good work and making a difference. But when we take feedback personally, we create barriers to our own development. We spend so much energy defending our choices that we miss opportunities to learn and improve.

As a leader, your relationship with feedback sets the tone for your entire team. Schedule a complimentary Coffee Chat with Coach Heather to explore how taking feedback professionally can create psychological safety and drive performance across your organization.

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Learning to take things professionally rather than personally didn't happen overnight. It required conscious effort to build new habits. I started by practicing the pause – that moment between receiving feedback and responding to it. In that space, I learned to ask better questions: What can I learn from this? How can this help me improve? What specific actions can I take?

I also discovered something surprising: when I stopped taking feedback personally, I had more energy. Instead of feeling drained by feedback sessions, I began to look forward to them as opportunities for growth. They became valuable conversations about development rather than dreaded critiques of my performance.

"The best teams embrace a growth mindset, viewing feedback as a pathway to improvement rather than criticism."

The impact wasn't just personal – it affected my entire team. As a leader, my changed approach to feedback created a safer space for others to learn and grow. We began to have more honest, productive conversations about our work. Mistakes became learning opportunities rather than sources of shame.

Here's what I've learned about taking things professionally:

It's not about detaching emotionally from your work; it's about channeling those emotions productively
Asking clarifying questions isn't a sign of weakness – it's a mark of professional maturity
Every piece of feedback is an opportunity to align better with business goals
Your work performance doesn't define your worth as a person

The growth mindset that emerges from taking things professionally creates a positive cycle. When you're open to feedback, you receive more of it. When you receive more feedback, you have more opportunities to improve. And when you improve, you build confidence that makes it even easier to receive future feedback professionally.

If you're struggling with taking feedback personally, start small. Practice the pause. Ask yourself what you might learn. Remember that feedback about your work isn't feedback about your worth. Over time, you'll find yourself becoming more resilient, more growth-oriented, and ultimately, more successful in your professional journey.