Successful leaders can find themselves unprepared for surviving challenging times at work. They’ve grown used to thing going right. But now, factors out of their control have changed the game and they’re drowning in a sea of stress and self-doubt.
While not every problem can’t be fixed, you can learn how to reduce their disruption and maybe come up with some creative solutions. Consider these tips for surviving challenging times at work:
Step Back
When you’re in the middle of a storm, it’s hard to imagine seeing sunny skies. Can you put a little mental distance between yourself and the problem?
A good way to do this is to explain it to someone, who is outside of the issue. Communicate it in basic terms.
This process may give your brain the chance to examine the issue in a different way. The other person may also give you a different perspective of the situation you hadn’t considered.
Get Help
Are there professionals, who have been in your shoes or faced a similar issue? Reach out to them, even if it’s just for a quick chat.
There’s a good chance they may help shortcut you to a better resolution. While you may feel uncomfortable, asking for help, many people are flattered to be asked.
The key is to make sure that you’re very respectful of the other person’s time. And if they give you advice that you don’t follow, don’t come back to them down the road with the same problem.
Find a Little Victory
In order to survive challenging times at work, do something that can represent success. It doesn’t have to be a big thing. In fact, it can be a really simple task, like tidying up your workspace for 15 minutes.
The idea is you do something productive that leaves you with a feeling of accomplishment. You can look back at it and say, “I accomplished this!”
While this won’t fix your big problems, the little project takes your mind off them and gives you a feeling of control. It’s a similar tactic to what sports psychologists do with athletes who are trying to break out of a slump.
Understand Luck
Success and failure can be defined by circumstances that are out of your control. While it’s easy to blame bad luck, when things don’t go well, keep in mind all those times when luck was on your side.
As a keynote speaker, I apply for a lot of engagements and many of them don’t result in an immediate booking. I also know that once I may have been hired because a meeting planner thought I was someone else. Luckily, everything worked out well for everyone.
In both instances, the actions of the meeting planner or the selection committee were out of my control.
Admit Defeat and Adjust
I once had a coworker who would proudly say, “My husband is a very successful pager salesperson.” This was back when pagers were very popular.
I’m guessing at some point the husband saw his sales drop dramatically, when cell phones made pagers unnecessary for many. No mater how good of a salesperson he was, it’s not easy to sell people something they believe they no longer need.
In your world, have things out of your control changed and put you in a challenging position? This can happen, even if you’re doing everything right.
At a certain point, you need to admit that conditions have changed and you need to change too. It’s frustrating because often this means taking a step back professionally. But often when we step back, we give ourselves the chance to step forward in a new and better direction.
Let’s Create a Memorable Meeting
