Why criticize when you can PLUS?

As a general practice I try to always be constructive in my critiques.  No one likes to be criticized without an idea of how to improve.

In that spirit, a colleague of mine shared an interesting article with me regarding a practice called "Plussing."  An obvious enough concept, but incredibly difficult to get groups of people to embrace and practice.  It's interesting to hear how very large studios that are in the business of creativity embrace this concept, and use it to facilitate clear communication and avenues for individual and team growth.

Here is an excerpt from the article:

At Pixar, the animators have developed a technique that helps keep the fighting productive and intellectual. They call it "plussing." As people criticize the work under review, that criticism must always contain a new idea or a suggestion for strengthening the original idea – it must contain a "plus." Without plussing, their morning crit sessions can get pretty negative and emotionally draining. With plussing, the same meetings are imbued with a positive tone and a direct connection between criticism and newer or better ideas for their work. The meetings still feel like a fight, but they feel like the healthy, respectful fights that keep couples, creative teams, and ideas growing and changing for the better.

The article concludes with the following thought which I agree with.

 It's a pretty simple system, and "plussing" works well for everyone involved. When you're criticizing an idea and not providing an alternative solution, or a means to strengthen the original idea, you're not really helping the situation. With "plussing," everyone on the team is forced to contribute to the argument, and make the idea better.

Just trying to keep it real!