by Tiffany Tyler-Garner, PhD
In the depths of professional challenge, you may be tempted to believe all is lost. As a leader who has experienced the highs and lows of the C-suite, I can attest to this temptation. However, I encourage you to consider what can be gained from the depths or lows of your professional journey. With a commitment to being “success savvy,” I have learned there is immense value in reclaiming the lesson from the loss.
An uncommon resilience results when we realize that our professional challenges are not losses. Great professional prowess is developed when we realize our professional losses are better understood as lessons, refinement, and the inevitable process of trial and error needed to achieve success. Moreover, much can be gained when we realize gifts can be found in the depths of professional despair. Consider how a depth of character, conviction, and resilience can result in the wake of perceived failure.
In the wake of my greatest professional challenge, I unwrapped several unanticipated gifts, including a deepening of self-awareness, empathy, and sense of self efficacy. Additionally, my greatest professional loss gave me a new appreciation for my subsequent achievements. I savored my next accolade while grounding myself in the knowledge that neither success nor failure is permanent. Rather, the only constant is my ability to choose how I define what is happening. Even more powerful, were the gifts that came from asking, “What is this experience hoping to teach me?”
Recently, while coaching I asked “What might this business climate teach us?
After careful consideration, I realized I was gaining professional experience that had emboldened my resolve while expanding my playbook and toolbelt. How powerful!
These gifts can be invaluable as leaders. Should we allow, we gain a mastery that enables us to lead others through crisis, tough times, and challenge. We also expand our emotional intelligence.
As a practical exercise consider a professional loss or mistake you regret. Now ask yourself the following questions:
How has this experience given me new credibility?
What experiences can I now lead others through as a result of this professional challenge?
What new problem solving skills have I gained as a result of this challenge?
What new communication skills have I developed as a result of navigating this challenge?
What new membership may be leveraged as a result of this experience?
What new opportunities can result from this challenge?
What new perspective, practice or process have I gained because of this experience?
How have I elevated my record as a result of resilience developed during this process?
Each of these questions represent an opportunity to package your loss as a gift with the potential to yield dividends over the course of your lifespan. While you may be tempted to forsake the experience, never forsake the gifts that can results from the depths of professional challenge. They are really opportunities—opportunities to grow, go higher, and go on to your greatest professional victory!
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