What is the definition of a setback?
A setback means “A reversal in progress.”
What is the definition of a bounce back?
Bounce back means: “Recovering or recuperating.”
A setback whether expected or unexpected can leave you feeling like ‘the rug has been pulled from under your feet’ and like a curved ball that can knock you sideways.
Quotes about setbacks
“Temporary setbacks are overshadowed by persistence.” Quentin L Cook.
“Every setback is an opportunity to learn and grow stronger.” Unknown.
“Every setback is a setup for a comeback!” Joel Osteen.
“A setback has often cleared the way to greater prosperity. Many things have risen to more exalted heights.” Seneca.
Types of setback
Setbacks can be personal or professional and they are very diverse in nature: financial, health, relationships, cultural, economic, reputation, prospects, skills etc.
How would you segment them?
- Boss leaves – your manager, with whom you had a brilliant working relationship, leaves for another company.
- Redundancy – you are let go in a challenging jobs market.
- Trusted supplier retires/sells franchise – the accountant you have trusted for years retires and you inherit a new one that you did not choose
- AI developments threaten prospects – Automation and AI are replacing your profession or reducing opportunities. e.g. copywriters and customer service operators.
- New party changes policy – e.g. Trump in America re DEI and foreign aid jobs.
- No pay rise – you had been banking on getting a pay rise to cover increases in rent/mortgage and utility bills, but don’t get one, leaving you worried and stressed.
- Training budget cuts – you chose an employer because of the fantastic training they offer, but after you join, the programme is pulled, leaving you disappointed.
- Increased competition – more competitors are entering your profession, making it harder to attract clients, secure the role that you want.
- Economic meltdown – the global economic crash of 2007/2008 caused mass redundancies and you didn’t know how you would secure another role.
- Skills obsolescence – you apply for jobs and find that your skills are ‘past their sell by date’, and what employers are now looking aren’t the skills and qualifications that you you have.
- Pandemic ‘curved ball’ – an unexpected health pandemic turns everything on its head, necessitating massive adjustment, which you find challenging as you don’t like change.
- Ageist boss – your new boss who is 35, is ageist and you see your prospects of promotion and training shrinking, leaving you demotivated.
- Sexist boss – your new boss is sexist and you now dread going to work when you previously loved your job.
- New leader culture change – a new CEO with a very autocratic leadership style, very different to the previous leader’s meritocratic style, changes the company culture for the worse.
- New company strategy – your employer changes its strategic focus, and your specialism is no longer part of its future plans.
- Direct report leaves – a valued member of staff who you trained up and spent a lot of time developing leaves for a better salary, leaving you disappointed and with increased workload.
- Recruitment/headcount freeze – sales are really good and looking really promising, but your company freezes headcount leaving you tired and feeling burnt out.
- No promotion – you are not promoted when you expected to be, and feel demoralised.
- Lack of recognition – you expected to gain an award or be featured in accolades for your profession, but this does not materialise, leaving you feeling deflated.
- Poor appraisal – you have a bad appraisal with lower marks then you were anticipated and feel disillusioned.
- Performance management – your boss isn’t happy with your work and puts you on a performance management process, making you feel very stressed and afraid that you will be sacked.
- Disruptor competitor – an unexpected launch seriously affects the sales of your employer e.g. China tech App, better and lower price.
- Don’t get dream job – you are second choice for a role that you really wanted, your dream job and you feel crushed after 4 rounds of interviews and a massive investment from you in time and energy.
- Seen as a threat – you offer to help with events at your employer to broaden your experience, but the event manager sees you as a threat and thinks that you are after their job.
- Partner made redundant – your partner is made redundant, leaving you as the sole breadwinner and you feel very under pressure.
- Split up with partner – you split with a long-term partner and now have to fund 100% of rent/mortgage and living costs yourself.
- Poor health – you develop a health condition which affects your energy levels and vitality.
- Returner out of touch with technology – you feel out of date returning to work after taking time out to dedicate to raising your children and feel on ‘the scrap heap.’
- Overqualified – you aren’t shortlisted for a job because you are perceived to be overqualified and your potential younger boss is threatened by this and thinks you are after their job.
- Project/contract cancelled – a contract you were massively excited about doing is cancelled because of budget cuts, leaving you worried.
- Death of a loved one – person or pet leaves you feeling really out of sorts understandably and unable to concentrate and focus. Your emotions are swirling.
Which setbacks have you experienced?
Which setbacks can you mitigate for if you take action now?
Examples
- One of our clients was rejected for a job, they felt deflated. I reminded them what they really wanted and that this role didn’t align with this. They were successful in being chosen out of 100 candidates to get a much better role that had everything and more on their wish-list.
- In the aftermath of the global economic financial crash of 2007/2008, many Tech professionals attended our Energise ‘Steer your career’ 1 day workshop. Their technology expertise and qualifications were out of date and not in demand by employers, something that they did not realise as they hadn’t looked into the future and monitored trends.
My own setbacks
- Failing one ‘A’ level – I got an ‘O’ – the worst grade you can get! This was my only science ‘A’ level Biology, of 3 ‘A’ levels! I still got a place at the only degree course that I wanted to do in the whole of the UK, a science degree!
- Being made redundant – in a recession with a 16% interest rate 100% 3.5 X mortgage. But being made redundant enabled a move to the consultancy side, much more ‘me’ and I got a job locally, so I didn’t need to move home. In hindsight, it was a gift!
- Self-funded CPD 6-month CPD break just before the global financial crash of 2007/2008. Very very challenging at the time, but I found my inner Energise ‘turbo boost button’ and built strong resilience to uncertainty. I was glad that I had looked ahead at trends and developed a portfolio career giving me options. Career coaches are very useful when mass redundancies are happening. I gained a DWP government contract to support professionals and executives with ‘Steer your career’ workshops for 2.5 years until the economy recovered.
From setback to bounce-back
Setbacks aren’t nice, but often they force you to re-evaluate and spend time on important not urgent tasks easily put off. The vast majority of people choose career coaching, not proactively and strategically, but when they are finding things challenging. This is human, very common and natural.
Positives of setbacks include:
- Opportunity to re-evaluate.
- Fresh look at spending/outgoings.
- Explore new opportunities.
- Consider retraining.
- Research a career pivot.
- Create or edit a future-proof portfolio career.
- Look at emerging trends.
- Update your LinkedIn profile.
- Tackle ‘important not urgent’ tasks you have put off.
- Update your personal brand.
- Create a new personal web site.
- Join a new network.
- Invest in a training course to prevent skill obsolescence.
- Job redesign – relook at the structure of your team, so that members can play more to their strengths.
- Plan a future financial cushion via savings.
- Set new career capital goals – things that make you marketable.
What would you add?
An unexpected testimonial
“I didn’t actually become Rachel’s client, but I should have done. Nearly twenty years ago, she sat with me on a park bench outside Saint Paul’s Cathedral and tried to explain to me about career change and my potential, but I didn’t listen because I couldn’t at the time. I thought about her often, so I’m writing this recommendation now unsolicited and without her knowledge. Her words have resonated with me ever since then, but it’s taken me nearly 20 years to realize exactly what she was saying. She is an incredible person who is insightful, brings joy, clarity and light to all whom she comes in contact with. There is no doubt in my mind, that my life would have been significantly different if I’d been open to what she had to say back then. I have no hesitation in recommending Rachel”.
Pete Gourri.