Embracing Setbacks: The Unseen Catalyst for Monumental Growth

The world around us often glorifies success as a linear ascent to the top, and demonizes setbacks as detours from the path of achievement. This perspective overlooks the profound lessons and opportunities hidden within these moments of apparent failure.

Many of us will face a setback at some point in our careers — perhaps we’ll be passed over for a promotion, fail to get the job we want, or even be asked to resign. Because such experiences can shake our confidence and make us doubt our worth, trying to shield ourselves from them is instinctive.

But what if by focusing on the obvious negative aspects of setbacks, we miss their silver lining?

Source: TEDx, YouTube

Research reveals that while setbacks are disruptive in the short term, they can trailblaze careers in unexpected ways. In 2017, Wolfgang Mayrhofer and Hugh Gunz, published an overview of the debates about career studies among human resource, organizational, and management scholars. They found that across all disciplines, at the core, careers are best understood as lifelong journeys where detours and unconventional paths are natural and often valuable.

The jolt of a setback, rather than knocking candidates off course, actually helped them align their career paths more closely with their true selves, leading to greater fulfillment and success. In contrast, individuals who had followed a smoother, more traditional path often found themselves confined by 'safe' choices, oblivious to the broader opportunities around them.

For those of you navigating the aftermath of a career setback (you don't have to tell me who you are), here are three transformative practices to embrace a reframed understanding to see these moments not as obstacles, but as indispensable catalysts to solve for growth, authenticity and resilience.

Reevaluate Your Career Aspirations:

Acknowledge that your initial career choices were made by a younger, less experienced version of yourself. Reflect on whether those goals still resonate with your current skills, knowledge, and definition of success. This process of reflection and goal adjustment is crucial for aligning your career trajectory with your personal growth and evolving aspirations. Then, consider what you need to achieve these updated goals.

Embrace Unconventional Career Choices:

Broaden your perspective on achieving career success. Moving beyond the conventional ladder to success can reveal exciting, unorthodox pathways. Reflect on the aspects of your job you enjoy the most and explore how your skills could be applied in different settings.

Build authenticity with yourself.

It's easier to assume your likes and dislikes when you're conditioned by the world around you, but it's so much more challenging when you sit with yourself to hear your own thoughts, biases and self-sabotaging rationale.

For example, I found myself turning back to consulting after a 10-year career in healthcare- medical devices- deliberately, and intentionally. I learned more about my capabilities, resilience and tenacity in the last year, than I have in the past decade of my life.

Was it the right choice or was it right for the moment? Irrelevant.

Did it push me out of my comfort zone? Yes.

Am I grateful for it? Immensely.

Foster (and nurture!) that Growth Mindset:

Don't be afraid to ask for what you want. Else, someone will decide that for you.

Source: Chris Williamson x David Goggins, YouTube

Individuals who bounce back from setbacks tend to continuously reassess their goals and career strategies. This ongoing focus on learning accelerates their career development, while also giving them a competitive edge in any domain they choose to put their effort and mind to. Maintain this growth mindset by constantly seeking feedback and new challenges, even after you've regained your footing- never get comfortable.

Failure analysis is an incredibly useful tool to use in the face of adversity. Start by analyzing what went wrong by asking the right open ended questions. Build your case with all information you can get to bridge the gap between perception and perspective. Finally, learn to draw the difference between things that you can control versus those that you cannot. Change what you can, and let go of things that you cannot (or cannot at this very instant).

While it does bring all your darkest fears to the surface, failure analysis gives you full and frontal visibility of what you must re-engineer to move a step further from where you are. Practice makes permanent- remember to use this tool frequently, and honestly.

A New Paradigm- A New You:

Setbacks are not just hurdles to be overcome, but are instead integral to the very process of rising above our current state of being. We unlock our potential to achieve unparalleled growth and self-fulfillment by redefining our relationship with setbacks. I remember when I was 13 years old, new to boarding school life and in the 8th grade- was lost, alone and constantly felt out of place. I tried competing in athletics but was so far behind the 'average' student who'd been in the athletics team for over a year, that I didn't see the point in ever trying again. It was at that moment, I remember my housemaster slapping me with the following words that ring clearly in my mind, till today (sidenote: I like that Mr. Bose built on John Maxwell's take to learning as a lifelong skill):

Sometimes you win, and sometimes you learn, but you only fail if you think you have - Sanjeevan Bose .

As you enter a new season of your life, remember to give yourself a reality check from time to time:

1. Am I satisfied?
2. What am I not doing that I should be doing?
3. Will my future self be proud of who I am today?
4. What will I do next to leave my mark in this lifetime?

This process only prepares you for future opportunities by enhancing your resilience, adaptability, and overall competence as a reflection of economic demand for your skillsets. Every rejection is a step forward when used as a learning opportunity, guiding you closer to the role that’s right for you. Keep refining your approach, stay positive, and embrace the journey of lifelong learning.

I'm watching this space, are you?

#selfawareness #growthmindset #teamwork #humanity #continuousimprovement #leadership #positiveleadership #inclusiveculture #leadershipdevelopment

About the Author:

With over a decade of multi-disciplinary experience in commercial strategy and operations, I'm grateful to have grabbed the opportunity to build, and transform SMEs and highly matrixed organisations to sail through uncertainty, volatility and success in EMEA and APAC regions respectively. My passion is to help companies find sustainable and profitable growth by developing and executing business strategies, leading cross-functional teams, and driving absolute business transformation.

Jeev Sahni,?MBA, BSc., PRINCE2? LSSGB? | LinkedIn Top Voice

Principal, Corporate Strategy

T: +971 52 88 111 92

E: [email protected]

L: https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/jeevsahni/

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