Criticism, and The Power of Noticing

• Date: 01 May 2015
• Author: David M. Cannon,Stephen R. Goldberg
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/jcaf.22039
• Published date: 01 May 2015

107

© 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com).

DOI 10.1002/jcaf.22039

C riticism, and The Power of Noticing

David M. Cannon and Stephen R. Goldberg

BOOKS REVIEWED

Bright, Deb, 2015, The Truth

Doesn’t Have to Hurt: How to

Use Criticism to Strengthen

Relationships, Improve Perfor-

mance, and Promote Change

(New York: AMACOM)

Bazerman, Max H., 2014, The

Power of Noticing: What the

Best Leaders See (New York:

Simon & Schuster)

The books selected for

review provide useful advice for

business leaders as well as all

other individuals. Bright sug-

gests how criticism can be more

effective from the viewpoints

of both the giver and receiver.

Bazerman aids us in develop-

ing skills to overcome natural

bounds of human awareness. He

provides a blueprint to help us

notice critical information for

decision making that we other-

wise would ignore.

THE TRUTH DOESN’T HAVE

TO HURT

Criticism is a fact of life in

interpersonal relationships, in

business contexts as diverse as

performance reviews, in interac-

tion with suppliers and custom-

ers, and in both peer and supe-

rior–subordinate interactions. For

most individuals, the word criti-

cism has negative connotations.

In The Truth Doesn’t Have to

Hurt, author Deb Bright shows

how this negative perception is

a result of misused or poorly

offered or received criticism. Both

giving and receiving criticism is a

learned skill that when properly

done engenders positive feelings

and is more likely to bring about

the desired change.

This book is a surprisingly

thorough examination of the

nature of criticism and its role

in organizational and interper-

sonal relationships. The book

also examines the consequences

of both effective and ineffective

criticism. Bright demonstrates

the outsized impact of criticism,

noting that “more than any

other communication, criticism

has the power to fatally ruin

relationships.” She illustrates its

pervasiveness with her statement

that “criticism is inescapable and

inevitably plays a major role in

shaping our lives.”

According to the author,

criticism necessarily involves

a giver and receiver, both of

whom have roles in the perceived

helpfulness and effectiveness

of criticism. Criticism is nor-

mally given to effect a change

in behavior. The way in which

criticism is delivered can affect

the receiver’s perception of the

giver’s motives and the validity

of the criticism. For example,

a giver of criticism can come

across as hostile, uncaring, or

confused such that the criticism

does not bring about the desired

change in behavior. A receiver

can be defensive, hostile, or dis-

tracted, also resulting in an inef-

fective communication.

Bright contends that “criti-

cism is largely misused by those

who have not learned to use it

effectively.” While she notes a

near universal negative percep-

tion of criticism, she has found

that athletes and performing

artists tend to view criticism

positively. The process of learn-

ing how to act, perform music,

or play a sport necessarily

involves frequent and not always

welcome criticism. Athletes and

performers have learned that