Don’t Criticize: Build Allies and Champions for Your Work
- JD Solomon
- May 26
- 2 min read
Criticizing people is one of the fastest ways to lose influence. You trigger defensiveness the moment you criticize someone. You lose goodwill. You turn a potential ally into a potential opponent. Technical professionals often underestimate how quickly this shift happens, especially in executive communication and when trying to build champions.
The Technical Trap
Many technical professionals fall into the habit of pointing out flaws in everyone else’s work. It many ways, it’s part of the brainstorming process.
However, many techies see it as a way to demonstrate how smart they are. Most people on the receiving end see it as abrasive. The result is predictable. People stop coming to you. They avoid your input. You lose your peer champions and executive champions for your work.
The Senior Management Reality
Senior leaders must keep teams functioning. They can tolerate only so much technical brilliance if it comes with friction.
Most people don’t lose their roles because they lack intelligence. They lose them because the inner circle turns against them.
The Myth of “Constructive” Criticism with Peers
You may intend your feedback to be constructive. Most people on the receiving end still hear negativity, whether it’s about their work, the facts, or their behavior.
Before You Criticize Upward
When you feel the urge to criticize senior management, pause and ask:
Am I trying to help leadership or trying to make myself look good?
What positive outcome do I want?
Is there a better way to achieve it?
The Tip
Praise what you can. Offer support where it’s genuine. Correct in private. Build allies and champions for your work. Criticism rarely builds anything. Influence does.
JD Solomon champions practical communication skills that help technical professionals convey complex ideas clearly and confidently. Need help getting started? Visit his company’s website, www.jdsolomonsolutions.com.
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