What do you do if you're facing a career setback and want to prevent making the same mistakes again?

Facing a career setback is tough, but it's also an opportunity to grow. Reflect on what led to the setback, identifying mistakes and areas for improvement. Seek feedback from mentors or colleagues and develop a plan to address weaknesses. Embrace the learning experience, adjusting your approach and strategies accordingly. Stay resilient, maintain a positive mindset, and use setbacks as stepping stones toward future success.

Facing a career setback? Here's how to bounce back and avoid repeats: 1. Reflect: Take time to analyze what happened. Was it a skill gap, communication issue, or external factor? 2. Learn: Don't dwell on blame. Identify areas for improvement and actively seek to learn from the experience. 3. Strategize: With newfound awareness, craft a plan to address your weaknesses. This could involve skill development, improved communication, or a shift in approach. 4. Seek Support: Talk to trusted mentors or colleagues. Their insights can offer valuable perspective. 5. Move Forward: Don't let the setback define you. Focus on applying your learnings and keep your eye on your long-term goals.

Career setbacks are standard part of any growth journey. If you don’t experience any setbacks you are either incredibly lucky or you don’t stretch yourself or don’t try to attain next level goals. Even if all is now smooth riding for you don’t rely on this because economy is unforgiving and market is shaken with the crisis of consulting bigger than 2008. Overall anxiety which translates to slashing of consulting budgets and closing projects is widespread. The cycle will reverse when chaos of high profile company collapses due to lack of innovation will hit mainstream. C-level & Boards will be fired for failure to make transition into AI-first world. Consultancies will be again called to fix the mess created by inefficient leadership.

If you are facing career setbacks due to the same mistakes, then you need outside help. Reflecting deeply is not going to help you as you are stuck in a mental loop and need external assistance. Talk to a trusted person and discuss the situation with them.

When dealing with career setbacks, you need much more than just feedback. You may need someone to hand hold you through each step. The biggest issue we face as professionals and as human beings is we are stuck in our own mental cages. Seek constant feedback to review your own status, challenges, way forward etc.

To recover from repeated career setbacks, you need to set different goals this time around. Seek feedback from your external confidante and set different goals this time around.

Recommit to your goals: Break down big changes into small tasks, set timelines, and plan how to accomplish each step. Learn from setbacks: Identify what went wrong, challenge negative thoughts, and focus on progress made. Practice resiliency: Develop coping skills, lean on support networks, and reframe experiences to bounce back. Take control of finances: Accept the setback, know your resources, set a budget, and prioritize expenses. Seek professional help: Consult a financial counselor or career coach to regain stability and prosperity.