How to Emerge Victoriously from Career Setbacks
Your entire career is mapped out in your mind. You see yourself retiring from your current company, a potential promotion you’ve been vying for coming to fruition. You see blue skies ahead. Then, inexplicably, events occur that give you a jolt. It could be loss of job, a negative review out of nowhere or even harsh feedback that was unwarranted. Any of these can hamper that picture you have of the illustrious future.
1.) Reaction (or lack thereof) is paramount. The way you conduct yourself in the span of time immediately following the triggering incident will be telling in how you rebound. Eyes are watching you and there are expectations of how you will handle the setback. Whether they expect or want you to falter, do not under any circumstances provide any negative fodder that can be used against you. If the triggering incident is something you deem unwarranted, you’ll negate any potential path to proving your point if you show yourself to be part of the problem.
If you immediately flounder as a result of this setback, it illustrates that you are not ready to effectively lead, it may prove the narrative being told in a negative appraisal and it can cause you to burn bridges you may need later.
The best things you can do are to…
2.) Regroup. Get your bearings. Do not show your surprise and do not lose your cool. Experiencing major setbacks in your career can be very telling experiences: you certainly learn the true nature of your relationships with co-workers and you are forced to modify your approach whether you want to or not. Rather than react, reflect on the information that you have received which is – in essence – an edict to change your behavior and often a warning or punishment because you have failed to adhere to some expectation or set of expectations. Getting distance from any occurrence – good or bad – lends perspective. Utilize the time you are licking your wounds and analyzing the steps that led to this point to consider alternative tweaks to process that could lead to different results and…
3.) Re-think your strategy. Look for the learning. Even if you vehemently disagree with the triggering incident, take a step back and attempt to look through the lens of an outside view. No matter how much you hate the ramifications or potential repercussions of this setback, try to find some kind of learning. Work to change the perception. Like it or not, perception is deemed as and defines reality: if someone has this connotation of you, it is imperative to change that perception. Seek out people who have knowledge of the situation, attempt to learn from people who may have provided criticism and be open-minded to evolving based on feedback from others who know you or know the playing field.
Showing that you are serious about turning the tide and that you really want to modify your strategy based on the feedback or the negative event shows growth (and desire to grow). Even if it is a situation from where there is no return (a termination), you will need to roll your learning into future interviews and roles. You will need to show that you have identified where you could have altered your process and that you did glean knowledge from the situation which has made you better. Everyone stumbles and falls, and we all earn and deserve second (and sometimes more) chances. Make the most of that additional chance by being able to tell the story of what transpired, why it did, what you would do differently and what you will take from the experience to better your process going forward.
4.) Re-commit. This re-commitment is internal (with yourself, an acceptance of what has happened and a conscious decision to move forward with a modified approach that will lead to better results). It is external (with others who are part of the setback, be it a leader, a team, clients, partners, etc.). The commitment is important because it shows others who have dubbed you insufficient that you have a plan to address the shortcomings. It may surprise folks who expected you to ignore or fight the criticisms. It also shows that you are committed to controlling the variables you can control: you can control the activities you take, the actions you put forth to change the situation, and the plan in place to modify the perception. This is a key part of your reputation; rather than reacting negatively, you have respectfully analyzed what truth may exist in this unwanted analysis of you and utilized it to forge a path forward. Whether you believe it to be true or not, whether you were the recipient of an undeserved punishment or not, it falls on your shoulders (and yours alone) to address the need for change within yourself and your process. Make clear to those who have a hand in either this decision, this setback or situation, or in your path forward that you take very seriously your reputation, that you have made these tweaks in order to course-correct, and that you are committed to these strategic steps to alter the trajectory and move forward with a modified approach to lead to better results. That is a very crucial part of this process, followed by and only trumped by the action to…
5.) Re-engage. Get back in the game. Be fueled by the fire that got you into the game to begin with and the unstoppable passion to change the dynamic and the perception. If you have lost out on a promotion or received negative attention or feedback or even lost your job, it is vital to not only show that this did not cause a death knell to your career but that it reinvigorated you to be an even better version of yourself. To not only do the job but master the job. To not only do what you’re good at, but to step outside of comfort zones, learn from others, face the criticism head on and add value in other, better ways.
It’s never too late to draw the line in the sand and make the conscious decision to be better, to add more value, to master your craft. Unfortunately, sometimes preventable and sometimes completely unfair career setbacks will befall us. Lick your wounds in private. Analyze your process and learn. Emerge from the setback as a superior version of yourself, determined to move forward with more knowledge, experience, passion and focus than ever before. The person who determines if a career setback is debilitating or if it can be used as an experience to learn from and better oneself is solely up to you
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Carson V. Heady has written a book entitled “Birth of a Salesman” and sequels “The Salesman Against the World” and “A Salesman Forever” which take the unique approach of serving as sales/leadership books inside of novels showing proven sales principles designed to birth you into the top producer you were born to be. If you would like to strengthen your sales and leadership skills, go to https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073HN3SXQ
Heady posts for “Consult Carson” serving as the “Dear Abby” of sales and sales leadership. You may post any question that puzzles you regarding sales and sales leadership careers: interviewing, the sales process, advancing and achieving.
Question submissions can be made via LinkedIn to Carson V. Heady, this Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Carson-V-Heady/125078150858064?ref=hl , Twitter via @cvheady007 or e-mail at cvheady007@yahoo.com or you may post an anonymous comment as a reply to my WordPress blog at the bottom of this page: https://carsonvheady.wordpress.com/the-home-of-birth-of-a-salesman-2010-published-by-world-audience-inc-and-the-salesman-against-the-world-2014/
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