What do you do if your career takes a hit?

Go back to your mission board. Your mission is why you are in your career in the first place. It helps you assess if there is a new to rebuild the damage and keep forging ahead on the same path, or the hit was simply calling your attention to the fact that you were already going away from your core mission and you need a reinvention in the first place.

Ensuring your brand matches your intentions within the organization is very important. I see a lot of people discuss talent with verbiage like, "that is just a character trait" or "they just have that communication style." This is sometimes seen as an excuse to not have to address feedback. Being your "true" self is not making excuses for why you do what you do, it is TRUE alignment between what you hope you portray and what others see you as. Having true understanding of the variance between the two help address feedback that is meaningful to your brand (and helps you see how far off you are).

Take a Moment to Reflect: Allow yourself some time to process your emotions and reflect on the situation. It's normal to feel disappointed, frustrated, or even angry, but try to avoid dwelling on negative emotions for too long. Use this time to gain clarity on what happened and what you can learn from the experience. Assess the Situation Objectively: Take a step back and assess the situation objectively. Understand the factors that contributed to the setback, including any mistakes or missteps you may have made. Identify any external factors beyond your control that may have influenced the outcome.

It can feel very jarring when something unexpected occurs, especially when it relates to our career and livelihood. The first thing to do is to fully assess the situation from an objective point of view. Think about what advice or insight you'd give to a friend who was going through the same thing. What would be your take on the situation? Once you have a grasp on the situation and what is going on, you can start identifying solutions.

If you find yourself at a loss and struggling with your career, it's important to take proactive steps and seek help. Start by talking to a supportive colleague or senior at work and explaining your situation. This can help you get better projects and ultimately expand your career prospects. However, if this approach doesn't yield results, it might be time to conduct a complete skill scan and seek guidance from a career expert. They can offer substantial advice and help you chart a course to improve your current situation. Remember, there's always someone willing to lend a hand, but it's up to you to take the first step and seek assistance.

It's important to always keep evolving, and one way to do that is to remember that change is the only constant in life. To successfully navigate the ups and downs that come with change, you need to constantly expand your skills. A great way to do this is to invest in yourself and set up a CPD plan. You can take inspiration from professionals in your field and choose a course or two that they have done or recommended. This is a free way to get expert advice and then jump on the wagon to ride the tide!

Branding is not just about sharing success. It's about authenticity and personal growth. If you have carefully developed and nurtured your personal brand, rebranding should be your last resort, as it takes a lot of time and effort. Instead of rebranding, I'd recommend figuring out - What the problem was and how you can avoid a similar problem in the future. - How you can learn from the situation and use it to strengthen your existing brand. Use setbacks to learn and grow - not to hide.

One can face trouble if you cannot assess the extent of damage and/or nobody wants to help. I have experience in this kind of situation at LUT University. They threatened me with criminal investigations and denied that anything special would have happened. I had been confused and did not understand anything... I am grateful for the helping hand of the global community of Elsevier and CEO Adj. Prof. Kenneth David Strang. The lesson learned is that one must be prepared to fight dark forces and study psychology.