I had just finished a short conference presentation to a major financial institution on the subject of giving and taking criticism. The president of the company came up to offer me a congratulatory handshake; as he did, he remarked, "I never realized criticism was such a complex, important, essential, and powerful process."

Since I had been studying the subject of criticism for over twenty years, ever since my interest in the subject was sparked by witnessing a staff psychiatrist destructively criticize a fellow graduate student in front of her peers, the president's comment was an understatement to me.

Criticism is complex. The words you choose to use, the moods and emotions of both parties, the nature of the relationship you have with the giver or the receiver, the content of the criticism, and the time and the place, mixed with many other variables, make giving and taking criticism a very complex and difficult task. And there is an abundance of research that indicates most people do not do this task well.

Criticism is important. Acts and situations that are worthy of criticism are acts and situations that need to be evaluated because they affect our welfare. At work, behavior that is criticized is thought to relate to productivity. In society, acts and situations that are criticized are thought to affect our daily living; therefore, they deserve to be evaluated. Pick up the newspaper or listen to the news, and you will hear daily stories about someone or something being criticized. In this context, the news is telling us that these are the people who are worthy of criticism, these are the important events and behaviors that shape our days and thus deserve a closer look. Criticism is important because it tells us what is important.

Criticism is essential. Performance appraisal, team functioning, quality control, customer service, leadership and management development, and managing conflict are all daily organizational tasks that drive the welfare of an organization. In each of these tasks, giving and taking criticism is an essential and underlying factor as to how well the task is performed. For example, you cannot have an effective team unless team members can give and take criticism to and from each other. If an executive cannot take criticism, or if those close to her are ineffective in giving it to her, she has little chance of developing herself or her leadership skills. Customer service is all about soliciting criticism from customers for the purpose of giving better service. Furthermore, no job is criticism-exempt. Criticism at work is a common denominator for all of us.

And, of course, criticism is powerful. It can make or break careers. It can help an organization flourish or flounder. It is also powerful in that it evokes strong feelings and emotions ranging from anger to enthusiasm. It is powerful enough to affect our attitude toward work and those who work with us. In short, criticism is so powerful that it impacts just about every aspect of our work experience.

But the purpose of this book is not to make the case that criticism has these attributes. I'll summarize that case by simply pointing out that the last twenty years have provided us with a tremendous amount of empirical research that clearly indicates that giving and taking criticism in a positive manner is crucial to individual and organizational success. Success is defined in a broad sense, including job enjoyment, better working relationships, better mental health, improved self-esteem, increased productivity, and greater results.

With that in mind, the purpose of this book is to help you develop your skill in using the power of positive criticism. When you do this, you will be using criticism as a tool to motivate, educate, develop, teach, and build relationships.

To use criticism in this manner is in accordance with criticism's original purpose -- a neutral, objective appraisal of ideas and actions. The Greeks used the word kritikos, "able to discern or judge." One who criticized was expected to assess the merits as well as the demerits of an object or situation, and to make judgments accordingly. The goals of criticism were to communicate, to influence, and to motivate.

Criticism of that sort played an important and positive role in the evaluation process: It helped one look realistically at one's aims and actions; it pointed the way toward new resources and skills; it increased one's tolerance for a variety of opinions. But over the years -- and for many reasons -- this concept of criticism became skewed until, finally, only the negative connotations of the word remained.

This book helps you use criticism as it was originally intended; when you do, you will ignite the best in yourself, others, and your organization.

Furthermore, as you use the power of positive criticism, you will be dramatically more successful in the broadest sense of the word.

The Power of Positive Criticism is organized into two main sections. Section I consists of twenty tips that will help you get the power of positive criticism.

The "Tips in Action" chapter illustrates how applying the tips transforms an initially negative criticism into a positive criticism.

Section II contains the most difficult criticism encounters that occur on the job. For each situation, the underlying factors that make the situation difficult are discussed; then practical, proven-effective criticism methods, techniques, and interventions are provided to help you manage each situation.

The book concludes with observations about the kind of people who consistently get the positive power of criticism.

There is also an appendix, which provides you with a useful support tool, The Criticism Inventory (TCI), that will make it easier for you to apply and benefit from The Power of Positive Criticism.