Thursday, April 4, 2013

When your strategy is "pray that nothing happens" and something happens

This story is from a piece in Fast Company called, "How To Bounce Back Stronger After You Blow It At Work," by Deborah Grayson Riegel:

Eight years ago, when I was just starting my coaching practice, I was thrilled to win a large, lucrative contract with an international advertising agency. Several days a month, I would train and coach staff from all levels of the company on presentation skills, management skills, and professional presence--a dream assignment. Business chugged along successfully for three more years, until my biggest and best client merged with another agency, and that agency had preferred vendors of its own. And I wasn’t one of them.

I suddenly went from a professional high to deep disappointment. In addition to losing a significant chunk of my income, I had lost my plans for the future with this client, the “luxury” of postponing business development, and yes, some of my pride. And while my business has more than bounced back since then, the sting of this disappointment is still a part of my consciousness.
Now, in retrospect, that blow to my ego and my bottom line wasn’t the worst thing in the world. It was the kick in the butt I needed to develop a thicker skin, more personal and professional resilience, and yes, a more strategic business plan than “pray that nothing changes, ever.”

The remainder of the article is how to handle these kinds of setbacks. As such, it would fit on a virtual library shelf with Chapter 1 of the Mistake Bank book ("Bouncing Back"). So check out Deborah's piece!

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