Handling Criticism: Turning Dirt into Gold.
- Edmund Tirado
- Dec 10, 2025
- 3 min read
Updated: Dec 12, 2025
How do we handle criticism?
Criticism is one of the most uncomfortable realities of leadership. It can sting, bruise our ego, and even make us question our path. Yet when handled with the right mindset, criticism becomes a catalyst for growth.
Handling Criticism: Turning Dirt into Gold
Great leaders understand that criticism is not just noise—it is raw material. Like dirt, it may feel messy, heavy, and unwelcome. But within that dirt lies the potential for gold: insights that refine our character, sharpen our skills, and strengthen our influence.
The key is perspective. If we view criticism only as an attack, we miss its hidden value. But if we approach it with humility and curiosity, we discover opportunities to improve. Criticism forces us to pause, reflect, and ask: What can I learn from this?
Criticism tests resilience. It challenges us to rise above defensiveness and model composure.
Criticism reveals blind spots. It uncovers areas we might overlook, helping us grow in self-awareness.
Criticism builds credibility. When leaders respond with grace, they earn respect—even from those who disagree.
Leadership is not about avoiding criticism; it is about transforming it. The dirt will always come, but your attitude determines whether you walk away with nothing or sift out the gold.
The Barber and the Salesman
Consider the story of the salesman preparing for a trip to Rome. His barber dismissed every detail: the city was “overrated,” the airline “terrible,” the hotel “in the wrong part of town,” and the business deal “doomed.” Meeting the Pope? “Impossible.”
Three weeks later, the salesman returned triumphant: the flight was smooth, the hotel excellent, the deal closed, and he even met the Pope. The barber, finally impressed, asked what the Pope said.
“He looked down at my head and said, My son, where did you get such a lousy haircut?”
This story reminds us that no matter how successful we are, criticism will always find us.
Criticism is like dirt—it may feel messy, but there’s often gold hidden within.
The Leader’s Attitude Toward Criticism
John Maxwell teaches that people can only change for the better when they are open to improvement. As leaders, criticism is inevitable—it lands on our desk whether we ask for it or not. What matters is our attitude.
Four practices help leaders grow through criticism:
Don’t be defensive. Resist the urge to fight back.
Look for the grain of truth. Even harsh words may contain insight.
Make necessary changes. Growth requires action, not just reflection.
Take the high road. Respond with grace, not resentment.
Three Questions to Ask About Criticism
When evaluating criticism, ask yourself:
Who criticized me? The source matters. Adverse criticism from a wise person is more valuable than praise from a fool.
How was it given? Was it judgmental, or offered with kindness and the benefit of the doubt?
Why was it given? Was it born out of personal hurt, or genuinely meant to help?
Hurting people often hurt others. Or as the saying goes, "Hurt People Hurt People." Recognizing the motive behind criticism helps us decide whether to grow from it or let it go.
Passion:
The Fuel for Resilience
Criticism is easier to handle when you are deeply passionate about your work. In Never Work a Day in Your Life, John C. Maxwell, in his book Leadership Gold, explains that passion unlocks potential.
Finding and following your passion so deeply that your work feels fulfilling and not like a burden, often achieved by aligning your purpose with adding value to others, consistent daily growth, and valuing the process over the outcome, making the effort joyful and impactful, not draining.
Ask yourself:
What do you love doing so much that you would do it for free?
“A master in the art of living draws no sharp distinction between his work and his play… He simply pursues his vision of excellence through whatever he is doing.”
Passion blurs the line between labor and leisure. It gives leaders the energy not only to endure criticism but to rise above it. —L. P. Jacks
Jack Welch put it plainly: “The world will belong to passionate, driven leaders… people who not only have enormous amounts of energy, but who can energize those whom they lead.”
Final Thought
Leadership is influence—nothing more, nothing less. Criticism will always come, but your response determines whether it becomes a stumbling block or a stepping stone. Handle it with humility, discernment, and passion, and you’ll find that even the harshest words can shape you into a stronger, more resilient leader.
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