Have you had a setback in your business or your professional life and wasn’t sure what to do? Did you recede into self pity, or did you embrace the situation as a new opportunity? Every defeat must be seen as a chance to do something new. If you don’t embrace the learning from a setback then you risk not moving forward.
Setbacks can provide the greatest understanding of yourself and for you to assess your situation. Also, if you believe that you will not have a setback then you are misguided. You will have one. It may be a personal issue such as a medical emergency or a professional situation such as a losing a big client or a promotion that didn’t happen. Get over it and move forward.
I have had my own setbacks in my career, and I believed that something better was going to be coming soon after. I decided to be positive and take action to overcome the situation.
“Life is a series of experiences, each one of which makes us bigger, even though sometimes it is hard to realize this. For the world was built to develop character, and we must learn that the setbacks and grieves which we endure help us in our marching onward.”
-Henry Ford
Here is a simple process to consider:
- Remain positive. A failure in business or your professional life can provide a great learning experience. You have to believe that when one opportunity goes away that there are other opportunities available. It is also possible that those opportunities may be better than the situation that you are dealing with now. There are lots of opportunities in this world. Maintain a positive attitude always so that you are able to more clearly see the opportunities that are available.
- Conduct an assessment. After a setback, you should assess the situation, whether it is a skill that is lacking or a business plan for a project that was not quite right.
- Fill the gaps. After your assessment, you must develop a plan to overcome the gaps you discovered. Is it education, is it more capital for the next project or is it hiring the right person to manage an area lacking in your business?
- Take action. No matter what, you have to decide right now to take action. Get over the setback and develop a plan. Get out there. Today.
We all will deal with setbacks and negative outcomes in life and business. It is how we handle those setbacks that determine who we are and who we become. Do we decide to retreat or do we fight on and turn the setback into a victory?
A setback can actually be the best way forward, even though it doesn’t appear that way initially. It can provide new motivation and a way to overcome complacency. Moving forward requires leadership from you to set the right conditions. I would encourage you to tackle the problem with a new set of eyes to see what incredible opportunity waits for you.
“Setbacks motivate me.”
–Lindsey Vonn
How are you going to overcome the setback that you have now or the next one coming in the future? Please comment or email at comment@stephenmclain.com.
Copyright 2016-Stephen McLain