If you want to be defined by your successes, then you'd better be willing to be defined by your failures as well.
Too bad you can't pick one without the other.
The funny thing is that while our successes make us cocky, our failures make us wise.
I just lost a deal I've been working on for awhile. Spent many nights warmed by the iridescent glow from my work computer rather than snuggling with hubby. I was under the gun, pressured and...well, energized at the same time.
We all want to be a success at work. Who hasn't ached for the mother of all deals to come along and for it to be yours. To be able to master the negotiation, tie up every loose end, wrap it in a pretty bow and present it to your boss.
It came as a blow to hear that all I had worked for was coming to nothing. After the obligatory nose-blowing and pity party wrapped up, what could I take away from this situation?
Some key things came to mind:
1. Give yourself permission to be sad at the outcome with one caveat...use the emotion to motivate you to learn something from it. Then get over it!
2. Be honest in your assessment. What went wrong with the deal, what worked well?
3. Look for important details that you missed or glossed over that could have either saved time or saved the deal.
4. Remember to thank all the people who worked with you to pull the deal together. Encouragement builds a healthy team.
5. Be gracious in the face of defeat, understanding that you probably learned more with the one deal that got away than from all the others you bagged.
6. Share your key learning's with others who would benefit from hearing your story. Put your pride aside!
5. Take some time away. If the deal has been all-consuming you're probably feeling a little burnt out. Get away for a bit to re-charge.
The sum of who you are cannot be defined exclusively by your failures nor by successes. Rather, it is measured by your character no matter the circumstance.
Too bad you can't pick one without the other.
The funny thing is that while our successes make us cocky, our failures make us wise.
I just lost a deal I've been working on for awhile. Spent many nights warmed by the iridescent glow from my work computer rather than snuggling with hubby. I was under the gun, pressured and...well, energized at the same time.
We all want to be a success at work. Who hasn't ached for the mother of all deals to come along and for it to be yours. To be able to master the negotiation, tie up every loose end, wrap it in a pretty bow and present it to your boss.
It came as a blow to hear that all I had worked for was coming to nothing. After the obligatory nose-blowing and pity party wrapped up, what could I take away from this situation?
Some key things came to mind:
1. Give yourself permission to be sad at the outcome with one caveat...use the emotion to motivate you to learn something from it. Then get over it!
2. Be honest in your assessment. What went wrong with the deal, what worked well?
3. Look for important details that you missed or glossed over that could have either saved time or saved the deal.
4. Remember to thank all the people who worked with you to pull the deal together. Encouragement builds a healthy team.
5. Be gracious in the face of defeat, understanding that you probably learned more with the one deal that got away than from all the others you bagged.
6. Share your key learning's with others who would benefit from hearing your story. Put your pride aside!
5. Take some time away. If the deal has been all-consuming you're probably feeling a little burnt out. Get away for a bit to re-charge.
The sum of who you are cannot be defined exclusively by your failures nor by successes. Rather, it is measured by your character no matter the circumstance.
