Criticize in Private

Criticizing in private may be one of the skills as a leader that requires the most maturity. You have to learn to hold back your comments to a more appropriate time. Making a public spectacle of someone’s mistake is never going to make things better. Plus how much is he or she going to listen to you when embarrassed in front of others. Take them aside one on one to discuss it calmly and rationally. This is the best way to avoid getting people in defensive positions where they are not going to hear what you have to say anyway. It also shows them that you respect them because you are not going to make a fool out of them in front of their peers. It pays huge dividends to the person that made the mistake and also to the other team members. They know that if they happen to make a mistake they are not going to suffer public humiliation for their behavior because you treated their team member with respect and you will most likely show it to them too.

Just remember that it is not about looking the other way when it comes to mistakes; Rather it is about facing them head on in a mature manner that allows people to learn and to grow.