“There will always be someone who wants to knock you down. Develop resiliency so you can get up and keep moving forward.” Jeannette Seibly
Experiencing a major mistake or failure means you have fallen down and need to get back up. Being able to bounce back requires developing resiliency. Although it’s not a difficult process, you do need to be aware of what actually happened.
The good news is that resiliency is not a gene you are born with. Resiliency is a skill you develop and build on while working through difficult issues or problems. Over 95 percent of the population has dealt with adversity before the age of 20. Those who become adept at managing adversity are the people who get ahead.
Overcome Adversity by Learning from It
Resilience
According to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, resilience is “an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change.” Our ability to rally quickly after difficulties and learn from them helps us develop stronger leadership capabilities, greater confidence and positive outcomes. In fact, adversity can build character, compassion and help pull everyone together. How do you learn to overcome adversity? Talk it out confidentially with a business advisor, coach or therapist. Write it out (but do NOT send what you’ve written to anyone). Walk it out … exercise improves your serotonin levels. The key is to work through the disappointment, embarrassment and other feelings you and your team may experience. Denying these feelings will only hinder your ability to move forward.
Respect
Respect yourself. Respect your team. Respect the process. We have all made bad decisions. Deal with them and move past any disappointments. Life can be unpredictable…things happen beyond our control. It’s what you do about it that makes or breaks you as an effective leader and team member. Set aside your ego and thoughts that life’s not fair. Apologize where appropriate. Move forward by reviewing what worked and what didn’t work before making any changes. This will get everyone on the same page and produce unprecedented results. Keep in mind, too, that this is a good time to review the process and a great opportunity to rewrite it.
Listen and Be Heard
Listening to others’ opinions can be difficult when you are feeling vulnerable or exposed due to a mistake or failure. Being heard while telling the truth requires taking responsibility for what you and/or your team did. Do it responsibly and appropriately. Immediately have a confidential conversation with your business advisor and follow his or her advice. Then, work with your boss, board and/or attorney to say what you need to say, put together a plan to clean it up and help others impacted by the mistake or failures. Remember, it may take time for others to trust you again.
Success is built when you and your team members overcome adversity and develop these all-important skills.
©Jeannette Seibly, 2017
Need a speaker or facilitator for your company’s management group? Have issues to address or conflicts to resolve that you have been avoiding? Contact Jeannette Seibly. She will provide confidential, laser-focused coaching that works!
Jeannette Seibly is celebrating 25 years as a business coach, advisor and consultant. Do you need help learning from adversity and developing resiliency? Learn from someone who has been there and done that successfully! Check out her website , or contact Jeannette for a free confidential conversation.