Publish Date: January 21, 2026
Imagine you are flying a plane from Gulfport to Memphis. If you are one degree off course, you might end up in Arkansas. If air traffic control tells you to adjust your heading, you don’t get offended. You don’t argue. You just make the adjustment so you arrive safely.
In an apprenticeship, feedback is your air traffic control.
Yet, for many of us, receiving “constructive criticism” feels personal. When a supervisor points out a mistake, our instinct is often to get defensive, make excuses, or shut down. This reaction is a trap. It prevents you from learning and frustrates your mentor.
To master your trade, you have to learn to love the correction. Here is how to handle feedback like a pro.
1. The “Pause” Button (Don’t Snap Back)
When someone critiques your work—especially if they are blunt about it—your brain goes into “fight or flight” mode. You might feel the urge to say, “But I was trying to…” or “Well, nobody told me…”
The Strategy: Hit the mental pause button. Take a full breath before you speak. Your goal in that moment is not to win an argument; it is to understand the standard. The only appropriate response immediately after a correction is usually:
“I understand. I see what I did wrong.”
2. Separate the “What” from the “How”
Let’s be honest: not every mentor is a polished public speaker. On a busy job site or a frantic hospital floor, instructions can be shouted, and corrections can be harsh. A supervisor might say, “This looks terrible, do it again,” instead of gently guiding you.
The Strategy: Be a translator. Strip away the tone of voice and look for the data.
- They said: “This wiring is a mess! Are you blind?”
- The Data is: My wire management needs to be tighter and more organized.
If you focus on how they said it, you’ll just be angry. If you focus on what needs fixing, you’ll get better.
3. The “Roger That” (Close the Loop)
The best apology is changed behavior. If you are corrected on Monday, and you make the exact same mistake on Tuesday, it signals that you aren’t listening.
The Strategy: When you receive feedback, implement the change immediately. Then, once you have fixed it, invite the supervisor back to check it.
“I re-did that section you pointed out. Can you take a look and see if this is what you wanted?”
This converts a negative moment into a positive one. It shows you are resilient and “coachable.”
Navigator’s Note: The supervisors who correct you the most are often the ones who care the most about your success. If they didn’t think you had potential, they wouldn’t waste their breath trying to teach you. Silence is scary; feedback is a gift.
The Bottom Line
You are an apprentice to learn what you don’t know. Mistakes are part of the tuition. Don’t view correction as a sign of failure; view it as a course correction keeping you on the path to becoming a master at your craft.