Publish at January 28 2026 Updated January 28 2026
Quality means added value in a business that appreciates quality. The contribution of quality sets us apart from the crowd. Constant questioning is part of this approach, essential for anyone wishing to make a long-term investment in quality. Criticism is also an ingredient that encourages questioning. But is it always welcome? Is questioning always accompanied by action?
We live in a world where competitiveness is at an all-time high. And yet, the vast majority of learners tend to settle for the minimum in their day-to-day learning. Instead of striving for excellence, most students settle for the average. As a result, we can't expect a miracle in the future, unless a decisive event brings about a salutary awakening. Still tossed about by the waves of insouciance, questioning is unfortunately not often the order of the day among students.
Occasionally, some may wake up in sequence, especially when exams are on the horizon. At that point, they are committed to storing up knowledge and ultimately achieving a result that will enable them to progress to the next class. You don't need to be a pedagogical expert to see this attitude as counter-productive to the process of building a positive identity.
Questioning, as Aude Saliner reminds us, "facilitates the ability to adapt to situations, cerebral plasticity and resilience that are increasingly important in our fast-paced society". However, it's up to us to find the right balance, as "questioning everything can also create a lack of self-confidence, or even a void in our identity". Despite this, it remains a strategic move towards self-transformation.
If we really want to invest in excellence, especially in a competitive context, qualitative work must be done not just once in a while, but all the time. The problem with just effort is that it doesn't allow us to claim great achievements or significant breakthroughs. To be able to surprise, we have to learn and relearn every day. Training in the quest for quality requires a culture of acceptance of constructive criticism.
One of the prerequisites for questioning is an attitude and willingness to accept constructive criticism. In the educational context, many learners are not very open to criticism. And yet, whatever our age, level of education or field of activity, openness to criticism is an added value that is conducive to self-questioning. We're generally resistant to criticism, because no-one is emotionally comfortable with it.
How many people have abandoned projects just because they couldn't take it? This is a real problem to solve. In reality, embarking on the path of quality requires us to be open to the comments of others, because to go further, giving others the opportunity to criticize us is a way of clearing the way for our own improvement.
In fact, when it comes to offering criticism, it's not a question of offending, but of finding the right tricks to keep the other person actively listening. To illustrate, the sandwich method, a technique consisting of inserting a criticism between two compliments, is well suited. It can be summed up in four points:
Sylvie Laidet-Ratier, in an article on the principles of constructive criticism, gives us an example related to management techniques in the workplace. Instead of saying: "That's terrible! He's missed the sale of the century again, I'm going to get rid of him"; it's more benevolent and encouraging to say: "As usual, his introduction to the customer was great, his error in taking the order is an incident along the way. "
Once you've been able to question yourself, you still need to be able to take action, and this requires a considerable effort. Some people find it hard to take resolute action on the aspect in need of improvement, especially in the face of perceived humiliation.
With this in mind, we sometimes feel doubt, and making up our minds still requires us to find a second wind, to reorient ourselves, to dig deep within ourselves, to get out of our comfort zone, while demonstrating the flexibility that is so useful for redeployment. In this vein, distraction is a deplorable pathology; recognizing it is the first step, but taking concrete initiatives to deal with it is another matter altogether.
Sometimes, we just don't have the solution. Japanese Zen monks propose the Ichigyô Zanmay technique, or total concentration on a single task. In principle, banishing useless thoughts enables total immersion, so that the task and the person carrying it out form a single entity. Whatever the field, in the final analysis, questioning is the very essence of creativity, a decisive asset when it comes to investing in quality.
Illustration: image generated by META AI
Sources
Expressing and accepting constructive criticism - https://asana.com/fr/resources/constructive-criticism
The 4 principles of constructive criticism - Cadre emploi
https:// www.cadremploi.fr/editorial/conseils/conseils-carriere/detail/article/les-4-principes-de-la-critique-constructive.html
"ichigyô zanmai": total concentration on one thing at a time
https://www.nippon.com/fr/japan-topics/b07904/
Sandwich feedback: definition and examples - Cadre emploi
https://www.cadremploi.fr/editorial/conseils/conseils-carriere/tout-comprendre-de-la-methode-du-feedback-sandwich
Constant questioning. What are we talking about? - Aude Saliner
https://medium.com/aude-saliner/la-remise-en-question-permanente-f62282f720ee
The Japanese technique for eliminating distractions. - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R11X7udkPOY
How to express and receive constructive criticism - Indeed
https://fr.indeed.com/conseils-carrieres/developpement-personnel/comment-exprimer-recevoir-critique-constructive
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