Benefiting at work from Brain Based Insights

Somewhere we’ve cottoned onto the notion that to critique people’s best ideas leads to progress, excellence, and advantage. Have you found that to be true?

While the intention initially may have been to assist others and reach higher performances, reality has degraded critique into a one-upmanship match.  When critics put down, stomp out or ridicule others’ ideas as a way to showcase or support their own, talent suffers and profitability goes down. Does it happen where you work?

Increasingly, people tell us that it’s people in power, with advanced degrees and tenured in esteemed positions who tend to take more potshots. I’m not sure if that is so, because I have not seen the research. I do know a few things about critique after years of studying it’s effects in workplaces though.

People who jump on other’s offerings have yet to discover how criticism works against the human brain’s ability to create.

Marked distinctions separate critics from creators:  

1. Tone for a critic adds cortisol at work, while serotonin accompanies creators.
2. Laughter for the critic takes down others … for creators is self-deprecating  
3. Curiosity that’s lost to the critic remains alive to the creator.
4. Questions from critics diminish others yet engage and extend ideas for creators.
5. Negativity that’s central to critics is fled by creators.
6. Words that whack for the critic tend to win for the creator.
7. Monologues for the critic become learning exchanges for the creator.
8. Intelligence is often fixed in the critic’s mind while growing in the creator’s.
9. Neuron pathways lead to blame for the critic and to  reflection for the creator.
10. Problems abound for the critic while innovative solutions come from creators.

Simply put … creators tend to move beyond criticism with terms such as:

Could you elaborate a bit more to help me understand?
Added to your ideas … I wonder if…?
In addition to that concept … have you thought of…?

Are there more critics or creators where you work? If your firm treats employees well, and finds success in the marketplace … the answer is obvious. If not … it takes an innovative leader to discuss the ten indicators above and carry on a discussion to collaborate doable steps for creativity at work.