Dealing with Disappointments

I had a disappointment a few weeks ago: a client I thought I had won was hedging his bets, so given the situation, it was wisest for me to pass. I didn't handle the disappointment as well as I normally do and ended up wasting most of the day.

Disappointments happen and it's important, as a leader, to buffer your team from them. Luckily I work from home so can hide this from my team, but I will never get back the time I lost.

The key is to let yourself mourn for a set amount of time (even set a timer, if that will help), then take a deep breath, perhaps even reward yourself (whether with a treat, song, extra chapter...whatever works for you), and then pick yourself back up and keep going.

They say it's a numbers game. Sales people talk about sales funnels. Anyone who puts themselves out there—whether to audition, freelance, sell, or get clients—knows you can't win them all and can't mourn every loss. 

As a founder/owner/leader you cannot let disappointments derail you and your efforts for several reasons:
  1. it's part of your life as a founder/owner/leader, so get used to it or get out;
  2. you have a team and business that relies on you;
  3. your mood effects those around you, whether at work or at home;
  4. and while you're mourning this disappointment, you can be losing out on something better.
And I obviously needed this reminder and will endeavor to do better next time. Dealing with mistakes and learning from them is also a part of this life (and a topic for another post). 

Takeaway: Disappointments are a given, so mourn briefly but then keep going since your business and team are relying on you, and there may be a better opportunity right around the corner.

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