In the mobile food industry, unlike in the art world, critique is often negatively equated with criticism. In the heat of the moment, many react with defensiveness and anger or even attack the person giving the feedback. There’s a lot of value in constructive criticism. Constructive criticism is essential to your food truck business since it requires creativity, innovation, and problem-solving.

Why You Must Be Open To Constructive Criticism

Since leadership requires all three, food truck owners need to be sure they are not only open to criticism, but that they actively seek it out. Ask people — staff members  peers, customers — to poke holes in your ideas and approaches. Critique can be a useful approach to test your food truck ideas and keep you and staff members accountable.

Constructive criticism is designed to point out your mistakes, but also shows you where and how improvements can be made. Constructive criticism should be viewed as useful feedback that can help you improve yourself rather than put you down.

Constructive criticism is often the only way we learn about our weaknesses. Without it it can be very difficult to improve. When we’re defensive, instead of accepting, you run the risk of missing out on this important insight. Remember, constructive criticism is not easy to give and it’s certainly not easy to receive, but it will help us now and in the long run.

How To Handle Constructive Criticism

  • Your first reaction should be to graciously, calmly and professionally accept constructive feedback as tool.
  • Take a positive approach when receiving advice and view it as a learning experience. Be open to others’ points of view, so you can improve your skills.
  • Be consistent in acting on suggestions, so you can avoid making the same mistakes again.
  • Do not feel you have to defend mistakes that you have made. Your greatest improvement will be made by overcoming deficiencies, not by defending them.
  • Understand that the individuate is trying to help you learn. Most importantly, they are trying to be supportive of you.

Next time you’re about to be critiqued, keep an open mind. Be interested instead of defensive.

If you would like to add any additional tips on the topic of constructive criticism please share your ideas in the comment section below or on social media. Facebook | Twitter