Blog: Career Management

Do you let your failures or missteps derail your dreams or do you bounce back quickly?

In Part1, I examined resilience – what it is, why we need it, and how to develop it – to keep on moving forward towards your goals. The good news is that even if you’re not a naturally resilient person, you can develop a resilient mindset and attitude. To do so, incorporate these six guidelines into your daily life:

1. Maintain the right perspective.
We all experience bad days and we all go through our share of crises. But we have a choice in how we respond; we can choose to react negatively or in a panic, or we can choose to remain calm and logical to find a solution. Avoid blowing events out of proportion. This is only one incident in your career. It’s time to move on.

2. Determine what went wrong.
Your own role in the setback will vary from situation to situation. A company-wide layoff is probably beyond your control, whereas being terminated or reprimanded for performance issues is something for which you can take more responsibility. Regardless, it’s important that you make a thorough assessment of the situation to maximize your learning and correct any wrongs.

3. Identify what was and what was not in your control.
Was (or is) the job a good fit for your skills? Do you have what it takes to be successful in the position – or do you need more training, experience, or other development? Did the organization’s leaders simply make a staffing decision based on economics?

4. Recalibrate to get back on track.
Determine what you need to do to make sure that you learn from your mistakes and never repeat them. What would you do differently next time? What behaviors or decisions contributed to the setback you’re experiencing?

5. Create a strategy for your career future .
You have a new perspective and a new set of circumstances and therefore may need a new career strategy.  Brainstorm ideas with your network, assess your options and even consult a coach to decide what’s next for you.

6. Nurture your self confidence.
Continue to set goals, make plans, get out of your comfort zone and keep moving forward. Resilient people are confident that they’re going to succeed eventually, despite the setbacks or stresses that they might be facing. A setback only sets you back if you allow it to do so.

Career Success Tip:

Resilient people understand that things change and that carefully-made plans may need to change. To maintain your career growth and satisfaction, resilience is essential. How have you been resilient? Share your experience with others.

Do you want to develop Career Smarts?