How to politely decline unsolicited advice
Getting feedback is a part of every job, but sometimes that feedback isn’t helpful or pertinent. Here’s how to sidestep comments that miss the mark without starting a fight.
No matter where it comes from, unsolicited advice often goes awry.
It’s one thing to receive feedback when you’ve asked for it. It’s quite another to receive unsolicited advice from an officious co-worker or your mother-in-law.
Even worse is when the “advisor” demands detailed explanations of your decisions and argues with you if you don’t follow their suggestions. This behavior can stall your projects, waste time, and derail your self-confidence.
Here are a few ways to politely and professionally tell your “advisors” to mind their own business (even when we’re fuming and secretly want to say something else):
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