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5 Ways to Manage a Career Setback
Featured Author:
Anuradha Mayer
Anuradha Mayer is the founder and principal partner of Lead Beyond Consulting. She has over 15 years of combined, organization development, executive coaching and human resource management experience.
Anuradha has a passion for helping people reach their potential and always seeks breakthrough thinking of new possibilities for her clients.
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Anuradha Mayer | Excelle
Having setbacks in our career is part of life. We have all been there at one time or another. Perhaps you didn’t get the promotion that you were working towards. Or you received a performance review that was not as perfect as in the past. Or maybe your job changed as a result of a re-organization and has become less interesting. Then there are the major career setbacks like a sudden layoff.
The reality is that major career disappointments happen even when we seem to be doing all the right things. And they happen to the best of us. These are all-too-common realities that we need to be prepared for particularly in today’s economic times. We do, however, have choices in how we deal with a career setback. Here are five steps to consider:
1. Get Some Space
A career disappointment often comes as a shock and takes some time to fully absorb. Take some time away from the office to step back and get some perspective. When we focus intensely on work, we sometimes forget other priorities like our family or taking care of ourselves. Some time away (and a little chocolate!) will help us deal with the feelings of disappointment whether it is anger, sadness, betrayal, etc. Time away also helps us continue to be professional at work and handle this disappointment gracefully.
2. Ask For Support
We all need to vent from time to time. Reach out to friends, family, a trusted colleague or mentor. These supportive people around you can lend a sympathetic ear and can offer important perspective on reconciling what happened and why. Peer networks like Excelle, online discussion groups or a career coach can be additional sources of support as you think about options and how to move forward.
jccantfindwork
11 months ago
14 comments
I suffered some major career setbacks when I became ill and had to reassess what I could actually handle on a day to day basis. I could no longer be the social worker who was "on call" 24/7, my MD said that had to go. I didn't know where to turn. When my employer wasn't ready to cooperate with my requests for reduced hours and workload, I was devistate. So I wasn't as valuable as I thought! I began to frantically look for another job to replace the old one but with less hours and responsibility. I landed some interviews but not any offers. I had to decide between my ego and my health. Eventually, when I learned I may be terminally ill, I chose my health and took a step back away from social work. I had to depend on my living from Social Security Disability payments. I felt like a total failure but the nuch needed rest and focus on my recovery helped. After some time, I began to do volunteer work and got involved in politics which I always had a passion for. I was amazed how quickly I was rising to important positions within the political framework. Ego was resurfacing. I was recently cleared by my MD to go back to paid employment as long as it was reasonable and not too stress inducing. I landed a job as an independent contractor and I can work as little or as much as I want from my home. If this job produces enough income, it will truely be a dream come true. Anyway, although it took a period of years, my career setbacks have taught me a lot about what is really important and have provided me with opportunities I never would have had otherwise.
Tazz
11 months ago
4 comments
I believe I have been experiencing this for this year. My business has been my total focus, for so many years. That I have completely forgotten what I loved about what I do.
I have gotten to the point where I doubt my abilities as a business women, mom, and a wife.
When the season began past march of 2008, the gas went up, economy went down, and the bids were not being accepted, I found myself shutting down. To the point I only did invoices, and estimates nothing eles. At the sametime I stressed and worried but really did nothing but take care of my own landscape. My space, my property, and felt bad at times to the point of feeling guilty for enjoying it.