Sometimes, it's necessary to correct someone who has made a mistake so he or she may learn from that mistake and be less likely to repeat it.

If the criticism is intended to correct a situation or improve future performance, a supervisor may need to point out mistakes or ask for changes to be made in a work process.

Constructive criticism is meant to help improve a situation, a process, or productivity. Destructive criticism is often just plain hurtful.

It's important to consider the intention of your critic and consider the comments when going forward.

You may learn that your boss does not feel respected when you make decisions on your own – even if the decision was made for the best of the organization. You may find out that a coworker feels threatened when you make suggestions or give input about his or her project. At the very least, you may learn how it feels to be on the receiving end of destructive criticism and may vow never to dish it out to others.

Asking questions may help you to better understand where the criticism is coming from and it may help your critic to realize that he or she is being petty – if that is the case.

While you should not always ignore it, there are times when it's OK to ignore criticism. If it's obvious that the criticism has no basis and that the person dishing it out is having a bad day, ignoring the criticism is likely the best idea. 

It's important to consider the other person’s position. You may be taking the comments too personally or may have misunderstood. It's OK to ask for clarification.

Studies have shown that people facing negative feedback are sometimes challenged to prove they can do better.

If you focus on ways to turn the criticism into a useful tool for improving your future, you can remain positive and may come up with creative ways to overcome barriers to your success.