Personality vs. Critique

Okay so I'm told (and I whole-heartedly agree) that having your own voice as a writer is critically important. I'm pretty sure I've got mine... or at least I thought I had.

I have to wonder exactly how much critique from others affects the way my work flows. I like to think my prose has a certain rhythm to it. I tend to favour short, sharp sentences, followed by longer, softer turns of phrase. Does that make sense? I don't really care. Anyway. I have to wonder about the way in which that flow changes when you take the advice of other people. When I edit other people's work my opinion is always affected by my own opinion of how a sentence should flow and I always offer critique with that as part of the disclaimer, "Don't take this as writ. It's contaminated by the voice of another writer."

It's a real skill (and one that I'm working hard to develop) to edit another person's work based on the style of the piece as it stands. When it comes to integrating other people's opinions into your work it's a real balancing act. Do you sacrifice that turn of phrase that you think is just perfect, because one (and only one) of your friends thinks it doesn't quite read right. Is it something your other friends didn't pick up on? If you pointed it out to them would they then agree with your detractor (used in the nicest possible way)? Do you want to take that risk?

So yeah. Writing. Editing. Taking criticism. Integrating...

Subjective balancing act or pollution of your voice?