The Value of The Critic
“Be an encourager, the world has enough critics already” - Unknown
Key Highlights:
The Critic is a very valuable part of your team when creating a plan.
The Critic isn’t the final word, just one voice in the process.
We have to understand how to use The Critic’s voice for us rather than against us.
“...there is a deep and powerful way to listen to the words of The Critic that can change your life forever.”
Few people appreciate “The Critic.”
Who enjoys hearing the flaws of their plans?
Typically we associate the voice of The Critic with the crushing of our dreams.
However, there is a deep and powerful way to listen to the words of The Critic that can change your life forever.
I am referring to one Critic in particular, the only one who really matters —
Your Inner Critic.
There is a story that the brilliant Walt Disney had an idea for a system to guarantee his lofty visions would come to fruition by utilizing three distinct roles to manifest his dreams:
The Visionary, The Planner, and The Critic.
It is said Disney would take his ideas first to The Visionaries on his staff and present his idea, then let them develop it until they had expressed the fullest vision of Disney’s pitch.
Then Disney would take this vision to his eager staff of Planners, who would start hashing out the details. Lists and diagrams would be drawn, and organizational charts, flow charts, and timelines would be drafted.
A plan would be devised.
So far this idea isn’t too radical. This is what most of us do to transform our idea into a plan that we are now set to work on.
But Disney didn’t do that.
Disney would take that plan carefully developed by his Planners to his team of “Critics”.
I once had a client describe The Critics as “The Piranha Pool.”
I gently corrected him and offered him a new way to view The Critic—
Consider the Critic is as committed to your idea as The Visionaries and The Planners.
Imagine they want to help you find the potential missteps, the things you might have overlooked, so as to guarantee your best success.
Imagine The Critics want to help you find the potential missteps, the things you might have overlooked, so as to guarantee your best success.
Disney’s Critics would carefully examine the Planner’s plan and come up with the concerns, the gaps, the oversights The Planners may have missed.
Then, so they say, Disney would take the plan back to The Planners, who would now take The Critic’s observations into consideration and refine their plan, their deadlines, and their charts.
This back and forth could occur many times before Disney felt he had a solid unflappable plan, but in the end, there is no doubt the plan had a far better chance for success due to the thorough analyses of both the Planner and the Critic.
Sure, things may still go wrong, but it’s certain many of the potential potholes have been avoided this way.
I enjoy using this exercise with my clients when they are hashing out a big vision down to its workable details.
It’s also an exercise one can easily recreate on your own.
The key is to take your time honoring each role.
As a visionary fully develop your vision, write it or draw it out.
Then allow your Planner side to take time to write out the plans you will need to execute the vision.
Then, when it is time for The Critic, really listen to what the critic has to say.
Remember that The Critic comes from a place of commitment to your success.
Finally, take your time going back and forth between the Planner and the Critic making sure you have the best plan possible.
Finally, take your time going back and forth between the Planner and the Critic making sure you have the best plan possible.
There are a few additional points I’d like to make about this exercise:
First, while it all starts with The Visionary who talks to the Planner who talks to The Critic, The Visionary and The Critic never speak to each other.
Why is this important?
Because the visionary needs a safe space to be creative.
In this structure, the visionary is free to be dreamy and idealistic and think big without worrying about being made to feel foolish or silly.
It is the Planner’s job to handle the details and it is The Planner, and only The Planner, who talks to The Critic.
Too often we have our brilliant idea and in our enthusiasm throw the vision straight to The Critic (think family member, a friend, a colleague, or our own critical minds).
This Critic may in fact have our best interest in mind by pointing out the flaws of our idea, but it usually inadvertently pops our balloon of enthusiasm if it comes at the wrong time.
Instead, the idea is to let the planner have the vision, giving it the attention and time it deserves.
Then allow the critic to make its contribution, because then the critic is a contributor, not a saboteur.
Second, and possibly most importantly for this exercise, The Critic is given respect.
The Critic cares as much about the project as everyone else.
The Critic might argue they care even more.
They are the ones trying to avoid the roadblocks that might sabotage the project.
Now not every Critic we meet has our best interest in mind and some Critics out there are best to be ignored.
The point of this exercise is the invitation to allow your Inner Critic to help at the right time. The Critic isn’t the final word, just one voice in the process.
You can always take your Inner Critic’s thoughts back up to the Planners and let the Planners tell the Critics, “Thank you for your contribution, but this just isn’t helpful right now.”
And in regards to the quote I started with:
