I read an interesting memo recently about how to deal with people who unsubscribe from a newsletter or blog. The surprising advice: Forget about them and focus on the readers who complain. The memo explained, "...the only time people complain is when they don't want to leave. Complaining is their way of communicating ... to spruce up your act."

This got me to thinking. It is very discouraging to get complaints. The automatic response is to go "on the defensive," to become angry or anxious (take your pick, and add a few more of your own).

But what if we chose to change our attitude and receive complaints as a type of constructive criticism from a client (or boss, investor, or potential partner) who respects our abilities and thinks we can do better? After all, if they thought we were incompetent, they wouldn't bother complaining because they wouldn't think we're capable of doing better -- right? This change of attitude may be difficult in our Israeli society where constructive criticism and positive reinforcement are not the norm, but perhaps, just perhaps, one can try to "count to 10," get past the immediate emotional response, and use the complaint to do even better work.

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