Here's how you can navigate career setbacks as an operational planner.

- Be clear about what happened, Is it a promotion you have missed or a project your were leading end up without achieving its set goals. - Talk to all the involved stakeholders to understand the root cause behind the setback.

Navigating career setbacks as an operational planner requires resilience and adaptability. First, acknowledge your feelings and give yourself time to process the setback. Then, assess the situation objectively to identify any lessons learned or areas for improvement. Use setbacks as opportunities for growth and skill development. Seek support from mentors, colleagues, or professional networks to gain perspective and guidance. Stay proactive by setting new goals and creating a plan to move forward. Remember that setbacks are a natural part of any career journey and that perseverance and determination will ultimately lead to success.

From a professional perspective, you absolutely need to plan for contingencies when a setback occurs. Mitigating risk and limiting exposure isn't a binary exercise; you can always make a right decision after a wrong decision. From a personal perspective, failure is a great source of education. Learn the lesson and try your best not to make the same mistake twice.

It is essential to create a feedback loop in the form of a lessons learned program. The US Military actually does a decent job with this. Every stakeholder involved with a process or operation must come to the table on a regular frequency to address failure and celebrate success. Without this process, valuable information will be lost.

Develop An Action Plan, - while you can’t control the past , what’s is in your hand is the measured response. - Reassess your career goals and adjust your plan based on new information - Connect with colleagues or Mentors who can provide support & guidance.

Most people will only network when they are seeking a new role (besides sales), which is a flawed mentality. A personal network should be structured into tiers. The top tier consists of mentors, heroes, and influencers. I try to talk to these people on a quarterly basis. The next tier consists of peers in similar or parallel industries. I will keep these people in my schedule on a frequency proportional to our combined benefit. Finally, there is a tier for new associates. I talk to 1-3 new people a month in our industry to slowly expand the network. This network can help put setbacks into perspective or even help plan a solution. Most people are willing to help in a time of need.

Most important is to remind yourself that its only a set back & not a dead end , Its natural to be disappointed but there is no reason to be discouraged. Treat the set back as a springboard turn this experience into a Valuable learning opportunity and get back on track towards your career goals.