How one deals with failure says a lot about a person’s character. We all are hit with set-backs at some point of our lives and I’ve yet to meet a person who hasn’t had their share of disappointments at work. Whether it’s a failed project, getting overlooked for a promotion, or just everyday struggles in the office, we’ll all need to learn how to effectively deal with them. have a look at our tips to recover from these disappointments and become a better professional overall.
Find out why it happened.
In order to move on from a set-back, we first need some closure on it. Take an honest a critical look at what went wrong. Identify the points in which mistakes were made, or at the very least, improvements could have been made. Not only will this help you ensure future efforts have more positive outcomes, but it will help prevent yourself from dwelling on questions.
Ask for feedback.
Sometimes it can be difficult for us to take an impartial and unbiased look at our own work. But reviewing a failure is important for improving on it. Therefore, it is essential that we seek feedback on our failed work. This is especially true when we’re speaking about a lost promotion. Ask those who made the decision why you were passed over.
Don’t make excuses.
It can be very hard to admit when we’ve failed. Sometimes it can seem like we’re accepting defeat and suffering a great blow to our confidence. However, there’s a difference with being proud of your work and refusing to acknowledge mistakes. Don’t force a laundry list of excuses to make it seem like you’re less at fault. Avoid blaming others and telling yourself if circumstances were only a little different you would have succeeded. Such an outlook will not help prepare you for future efforts.
But go easy on yourself.
While blaming others for your set-back is never wise, nor should you hold on the blame on your own shoulders. As I said, we all suffer a set-back every now and then. Letting those unfortunate moments weigh you down is not helping anyone. Understand your mistakes, but don’t think that it’s the best you can do.
Learn from it and carry on.
Treat these set-backs as a learning experience. yes, they are disappointing, but they are also helpful. If you handle failure wisely then it won’t serve as a set-back but a way of strengthening you and your work. Take away the right lessons, block out the unhelpful negative thinking and leave the situation better than you were before it.