After a Career Setback, Reflect on Your Strengths

Here is another valuable Management Tip of the Day from Harvard Business Review. To sign up for a free subscription to any/all HBR newsletters, please click here.

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[Note: This Tip offers advice that will probably be most helpful to those whose business career is relatively brief but it also offers a useful reminder or two to those who supervise them and are well along in their own career.]

Career setbacks happen to everyone. Maybe you didn’t land that job you were vying for, or the promotion you wanted went to someone else. But failures and missed opportunities don’t have to derail your career — and they can even propel it forward.

o To move past a setback with confidence, start by acknowledging the pain of being rejected. The physiological response it creates in our minds is akin to physical pain, so don’t dismiss how you are feeling.

o Next, take a step back and assess the situation — and be fair to yourself. Is what happened a reflection on you and your skills, or (as is often the case) were there factors at play that were beyond your control?

o And then make a conscious effort to look toward the future. Spend some time thinking about your strengths and what you love doing.

Consider how else you could use your skills — it may be that your next career opportunity will be in an area you haven’t even considered.

This tip is adapted from Use Failure as an Opportunity to Reflect on Your Strengths,” by Susan Peppercorn

Here’s a direct link to dozens of other Management Tips.

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