Monday Morning rumination: unsolicited advise is criticism.

Much to reflect on with this topic. Last week I was told in a 1:1 with a new contact that I was “too direct”. After some time chewing on the conversation I was struggling to place the emotions I was feeling. Turns out I was feeling guilty and shame for being me, for taking up space. Lesson of the week: unsolicited advice is a criticism of you, a micro aggression of who you are, and being “too much”. What would you do??

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Perhaps your colleague is trying to really help you by giving you that advice, particularly if lots of people are saying the same thing about you but not to your face. I take more of the direct approach, and have been given similar unsolicited advice over the years but I don't see it as a microaggression, or whatever the new buzz word of the week is, but it helped me see that there are repercussions of being direct (which most times I am ok with) but other times, I want to soften my approach and make it easier for people to work with me (eg juniors or new joiners or those who don't know me so well).

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This wasn’t a colleague. I had met her twice and this was our second 30 minute chat.

What EY1 said… I wouldn’t view the unsolicited advice as a “micro aggression.” Take it as constructive criticism, learn from it, and move on.

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I appreciate the thought. But in this case it was a person I had connected with and this was our second engagement. I had done as she requested for communication then she turned around and used it against me.

As women we are traditionally expected to be small, quiet, and put others at ease. Being firm or direct is not a bad trait, unless you are a woman. Then it’s seen as too aggressive. There’s a time, place, and even a correct way to perform constructive critique.

I had a former coworker put his hand up in front of me when I asked him a question. He was discussing an issue (pertaining to my work) with a superior and I politely interrupted to ask a question. There was an incident and my property was damaged- I was not informed, even though this person was aware and decided not to tell me or anyone else. He viewed my questions as me being combative.

Maybe reflect and consider whether the feedback provider was trying to help you develop. You can choose to ignore as a 'micro-aggression' but it will follow you around if it is true. You should be pleased someone has said it to your face rather than talking about it behind your back.

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