How Handling Criticism Shapes Company Culture, According to Christine Carrillo

In a recent LinkedIn post, Christine Carrillo explores the critical role a leader’s reaction to criticism plays in shaping their team’s behavior and overall company culture. Carrillo argues that while many founders claim to be open to feedback, their actual responses reveal a deeper truth that can either foster innovation or stifle it.

Carrillo highlights the common disconnect between a leader’s stated openness to feedback and their visceral reaction when it’s delivered. She writes:

“Every founder says the same thing: ‘I’m open to feedback.’ They’re right that they say it. But their reaction when they get it? That’s the real lesson.”

The High Cost of Defensive Leadership

According to Christine Carrillo, a leader’s defensiveness when receiving criticism has significant, detrimental effects. She points out that this reaction can lead to a team that stops bringing problems to leadership, stifles innovation due to fear of being wrong, and conceals valuable ideas to avoid a defensive response.

Carrillo shares a personal anecdote to illustrate this point, describing her own past behavior:

“Asked for feedback in meetings. Then got defensive when someone gave it. Explained why they didn’t understand. Made sure everyone knew I’d already considered that.”

This pattern, she explains, ultimately led to her VP ceasing to speak up entirely. Carrillo realized her defensiveness was rooted not in protecting good decisions, but in safeguarding her ego and a fear of appearing weak or uninformed.

Shifting Towards an Open Culture

The turning point for Carrillo came when she consciously decided to stop defending her positions. She describes how this shift had a transformative effect on her team’s dynamics:

“My team started flagging problems earlier. They brought bigger ideas because failure felt safe. We caught mistakes before they became expensive.”

Carrillo emphasizes that a leader’s reaction is the primary driver of company culture. Defensive leaders, she contends, cultivate environments where problems are hidden, while open leaders foster teams that actively seek and solve issues.

Practical Steps for Leaders

To help leaders cultivate a more open and constructive environment, Carrillo suggests several actionable steps:

• End meetings by asking, “What am I missing?”
• Practice listening without immediately explaining or justifying.
• Respond with “Thank you, I’ll think on it” and genuinely consider the feedback.

Ultimately, Carrillo advocates for a leadership approach that prioritizes building a team brave enough to offer challenges over one that solely seeks to prove the leader’s existing rightness.