careermindfulnessboundaries

How to Tune Out the Noise: What to Do When Former Colleagues and Pundits Criticize Your Career

UUnknown

2026-02-14

9 min read

Use Michael Carrick’s calm response as a model to manage public criticism—practical steps for boundaries, reframing, and focus during career transitions.

Hook: You’re mid-career, eyeing a move or leading a team, and suddenly former colleagues or loud podcasters or pundits are dissecting your choices — publicly. It’s exhausting. The noise chips away at focus, fuels anxiety, and complicates transitions. If you’ve ever scrolled through reactions and felt your pulse spike, you’re not alone — and there are practical ways to protect your mental focus, reputation, and momentum.

The Carrick Moment: Why Calm Matters

In late 2025, Michael Carrick — recently appointed head coach at Manchester United — described commentary from some ex-players as “irrelevant” and said certain personal criticisms “did not bother” him. That simple, composed framing went viral not because it shut critics up, but because it modelled a different response: detach from the noise, preserve the work.

“The noise generated around Manchester United by former players is irrelevant,” Carrick said — a short sentence that does a lot of emotional heavy-lifting.

Why does Carrick’s approach matter to professionals outside sport? Because in 2026 the ecosystem that amplifies criticism — rapid-fire social platforms, podcasts, AI-generated commentary — is more intense than ever. The same strategies that keep a high-profile coach steady can protect your mental focus and career trajectory during transitions.

How the Landscape Has Changed by 2026

Two forces make public criticism harder to ignore today:

Algorithmic amplification: Platforms and podcast networks prioritise engagement, so sensational takes spread faster and farther.
AI-generated commentary: By late 2025, deepfake audio and automated punditry have made it easier for offhand criticism to be repackaged and amplified, increasing reputational risk. Automated punditry and learning systems also create high-volume signals that are hard to triage without tooling (see how guided AI changes workflows).

At the same time, policy shifts such as the EU’s AI Act and increased platform moderation in 2025 mean there are more tools and legal frameworks to push back when criticism crosses into defamation. But you shouldn’t wait for platforms or regulators. The most effective defenses are practical, portable strategies you can use today.

Core Principles: Boundaries, Reframing, and Focus

Your goal isn’t to silence every critic — that’s impossible — it’s to reduce the emotional and practical harm criticism can cause. Three core principles guide the rest of this article:

Boundaries: Control your exposure and set clear limits on what you engage with.
Reframing: Shift the story from a personal attack to a professional data point you can act on.
Focus: Protect the rituals and routines that sustain productivity during transitions.

Practical Steps: Establish Healthy Boundaries

Boundaries reduce stress and help you evaluate criticism rationally. Use these practical tactics:

1. Curate your inputs

Limit consumption to trusted sources during a transition. That might mean:

Unfollowing or muting accounts that trigger emotional reactions.
Using tools like read-later lists and content filters to batch media intake to once-daily or twice-weekly sessions.
Delegating monitoring to a PR contact or external monitoring service that can surface and preserve problematic posts.

2. Create a “no-react” period

Set a 24–72 hour rule before responding publicly to criticism. This pause prevents impulsive replies that escalate the situation and gives you time to:

Assess facts vs. opinion
Consult a trusted colleague or advisor
Draft measured language if a response is needed

3. Use digital hygiene tactics

In 2026, you can leverage platform settings and simple routines to limit exposure:

Turn off push notifications for social and news apps during work hours — and consider broader device controls to reduce AI exposure.
Use browser extensions that hide comment threads or minimize headlines that are likely to trigger a reaction.
Archive or screenshot damaging posts for records, then mute them — evidence preservation prevents emotional re-engagement.

Reframing: Turn Criticism Into Actionable Feedback

Not all criticism is created equal. Learn to triage commentary so you can extract utility without getting consumed.

1. Classify the source

Former colleagues or insiders: These voices can contain valid feedback and legitimate bias. Consider context and history.
Pundits and commentators: Often performative and driven by suspicion; treat these as signals rather than facts.
Anonymous trolls and bots: Noise. Archive and move on.

2. Turn public claims into private checkpoints

When a criticism touches your professional performance, request evidence or set measurable checkpoints. For example:

If a former colleague questions your leadership style, document team outcomes and feedback, then schedule a 1:1 or share a brief progress note with stakeholders.
If a pundit critiques a business decision, map the decision’s KPIs and what you’ve learned; share that in stakeholder communications.

3. Reframe the narrative publicly — sparingly

Occasionally, a short, factual statement can reset the conversation and protect your reputation. Keep it:

Brief and factual
Focused on outcomes and next steps
Aligned with your larger professional narrative

Preserving Focus: Mental Habits for Resilience

Resilience is a skill you build. These coping skills and routines keep you grounded during upheaval.

1. Develop a micro-routine for immediate calm

When a wave of criticism hits, use a 3-step micro-routine to reduce amygdala hijack:

Pause 60 seconds and breathe (4-6-8 breathing is effective).
Label the emotion — “I’m feeling defensive/angry/anxious.”
Take one tangible next step: close the laptop, call a mentor, or note three facts about the situation.

2. Strengthen mental focus with rituals

Transitions benefit from small, repeatable rituals that anchor attention:

Daily goal-setting: write the top three priorities before checking email.
Time-blocked deep work: protect 90–120 minutes of uninterrupted work for strategic tasks.
Evening reflection: capture wins and lessons to counteract negativity bias fueled by public criticism.

3. Leverage professional support

When criticism becomes chronic or personal, bring in professionals:

Executive coaches for message framing and reputation strategy.
Therapists or counselors for stress management and emotional recalibration.
Legal advisors if public statements are defamatory or violate contractual protections.

Managing Workplace Gossip During Career Transitions

Gossip — offline or online — thrives on ambiguity. Transparency and clear boundaries reduce speculative chatter.

1. Proactive communication

When you’re transitioning roles, a short, honest update to your internal team and key external stakeholders reduces rumor risks. Share:

What is changing
What you’re responsible for during the handover
Who to contact for immediate questions

2. Protect relationships

Maintain empathy — some former colleagues may vocalize resentment or uncertainty. Preserve bridges by:

Acknowledging contributions and offering to support the transition publicly or privately.
Setting limits on how much you engage with accusatory behavior; you can be courteous without being drawn into drama.

Preserving Your Professional Reputation

Your reputation is partly external narrative and partly documented proof. Work both sides.

1. Build an evidence-based narrative

Collect concrete evidence of your impact: metrics, testimonials, case studies. Publish them in controlled spaces — your LinkedIn, portfolio site, or a short press release — so the public record balances opinionated commentary. Learn how authority appears across platforms in Teach Discoverability.

2. Use allies strategically

Trusted colleagues, mentors, and clients who can speak to your work are vital. Politely ask for short quotes or endorsements that showcase outcomes, not just character references.

3. When to respond publicly

Respond only if the criticism is:

Factually incorrect in a way that harms stakeholders
Legally defamatory
Misleading and likely to affect your ability to do your job

If you respond, keep it concise, factual, and forward-focused.

Case Study: Applying These Steps in a Career Transition

Scenario: Maya, a product leader, accepts a new role with a competitor. A former teammate publicly questions her commitment, and a well-known industry podcaster amplifies the comments.

How Maya responds:

Pause: she uses the 24-hour rule and blocks social media for a work day.
Document: she archives the comments and compiles project metrics that show her impact.
Communicate: she sends a brief internal note explaining her transition timeline and next steps for the team.
Reframe: she crafts a short public statement focusing on gratitude and future goals — no rebuttal to the personal critiques.
Support: she asks two former managers to provide contextual endorsements on LinkedIn highlighting her collaboration and outcomes.

Result: The conversation shifted from personal attacks to Maya’s documented achievements and plans, protecting her reputation while she maintained mental focus.

Advanced Strategies for 2026 and Beyond

As platforms and technology evolve, consider these more advanced tactics:

AI monitoring: Use reputable reputation-management tools that flag emerging narratives across podcasts, social apps, and vectorised audio to catch amplification early.
Pre-emptive storytelling: Maintain an updated personal narrative — short case studies and video explainers — that stakeholders can reference for clarity (authority and discoverability).
Privacy-forward networking: Cultivate private channels — trusted groups, closed Slack communities, or invite-only newsletters — where complex context can be shared away from public commentary.

Quick Action Checklist

Use this checklist the next time criticism surfaces:

Pause for at least 24 hours before replying.
Archive the original posts/screenshots for your records.
Classify the source: constructive, performative, or malicious.
Share a brief internal update to key stakeholders if relevant.
Consult a mentor or PR advisor for public responses.
Protect your attention: close social apps and do a focused work block.
Reinforce your narrative with evidence and ally endorsements.

When to Seek Professional Help

Seek legal, PR, or mental-health support if:

Comments are defamatory or threaten your safety.
Criticism is causing persistent anxiety or sleep disruption.
Your ability to work is materially affected by amplified narratives.

Final Thoughts: Make Calm Your Competitive Edge

Michael Carrick’s “irrelevant” line was more than dismissive — it demonstrated a strategy. When the world loudly questions your choices, you can respond in ways that preserve focus, protect reputation, and even convert criticism into clarity. In 2026, noise is inevitable. What separates resilient professionals is how intentionally they manage exposure, reframe narratives, and anchor their work in measurable outcomes.

Actionable takeaway: Start today by implementing one boundary (mute or unfollow a source), one reframing habit (document one metric that shows impact), and one focus ritual (a 90-minute deep-work block). Small, consistent moves compound into a protected career trajectory.

Call to Action

If you’re navigating a transition and want a ready-to-use toolkit, download our free “Quiet the Noise” checklist and template response scripts tailored for executives and individual contributors. Join our newsletter for monthly resilience strategies, and share one situation in the comments where you’ve used silence as a strategy — your experience helps others stay steady.

Unknown

Contributor

Senior editor and content strategist. Writing about technology, design, and the future of digital media. Follow along for deep dives into the industry's moving parts.