When someone gives you a hard truth, thank them first. Then decide if they’re right.

Being told something you did not want to hear costs the other person something, and your first reaction decides whether they ever pay that cost again. Thanking them before you have judged the content keeps those two things separate, so the channel stays open whether or not they turn out to be right. You can disagree afterward, at leisure.

Next time a hard truth arrives, say thank you and then say nothing for a moment. Go away and decide later whether it was accurate. If it was, come back and tell them so.