constructive criticism

Why is it that when some one says " dont take this the wrong way " it always preceeds a scathing attack at how you have either done something or think about something ? I know that we learn from our mistakes and grow from our experiences so why does everyone try to stop us doin these things? In a sittuation yesterday whilst at work my interpretation of a scientific method statement was different from a colegues and he berated me for wanting to do it to my understanding of its method , i accepted his arguements but continued to proceed my way. Later as i sat i meditation i wondered if i had done the right thing or if i should have adopted his way of doing the test.... If interpretation is subjective and the end result is identical why is going the long way round so wrong , after all teh longer the journey the more chance to grow as a person right .
Thank you my fellow jedi
The grassis green and the sky is blue...

This is a very interesting idea and one that I have come across on different occasions in my own life. It seems that (of course) there is a line that one needs to draw. Is your ability to do something the most efficient? Have you tried their method and it isn't as good? Is it more important that you do it your way (avoiding certain dangers) or more important to help the persons esteem (or in some more extreme instance allow them to calm down and do it "the right way")?

I would say that it is always existentially profitable to try someone else's method of doing things because it give you the ability to find a method that may be better then yours but also (most importantly) gives you a small look into the mind of another person. This is the most useful for myself because it allows one's subjectivity to vanish for a short while. It also allows one to feel more connected with their coworker as well as the project at hand.
The View from the eyes of a novice,
Arthus

it never hurts to try new things, sometimes however it is better to go with tried and true methods...personally if there's more then one way to the finish line i'll try them both at different times and pick the one i'm most comfortable with...

some co-workers are unable to cope with change or a different way of achieving the same goal and they become irate with anyone that says otherwise...