How did that feel, being told you’re an idiot and then being told to work harder? Great motivator wasn’t it? Frankly some people can take criticism but most people can’t. It’s no good for their self esteem. I don’t mind criticism and I have one good friend who really likes it. So guess what? He dishes it out all the time. Earth to reader:
People don’t like being criticized.
I sat at one boardroom table, full of prominent people and wondered how they had all been successful, really successful. Then one day it hit me. You left every meeting with one of them feeling better about yourself. What was the key? They didn’t criticize. They still managed to get the point across that you had screwed up. So how did they do that and how can you?
Motivate by setting a higher bar.
Don’t criticize. Set higher expectations and let the person know that better results are possible and thus expected.