Success Advice
5 Steps To Turn A Setback Into A Comeback
Whether you are starting a business or pursuing a better lifestyle, setback is inevitable during your journey to greatness. Successful entrepreneurs may not be able to tell you if they have ever had (or ever will have) an “I made it” moment, but every one of them can tell you a dozen different setback experiences.
When facing the challenge of a setback, the most common advice you will hear is, “pick yourself up from where you’ve fallen.”But, here’s a question: If you run into the same situation next time, will you fall again?
Is picking yourself up enough?Most of the advice you hear will tell you, “Just keep on trying and don’t give up…” Yes, it is true that in some cases you just need to have faith in yourself and keep on trying. But within these words are an assumption. The assumption that you will only need to face the setback once in your lifetime.
If you were to pick yourself up this time, you would never get rejected by potential customers, you would never lose your job, and you would never land a bad work position, never ever again. But what if that’s not true? You will face similar challenges again. You will run into equivalent setbacks again.
Will you allow yourself to fall (again) into the same setback, while going through the process (again) of picking yourself up?
It’s time for you to learn from your setbacks, and then turn every setback into a triumph.
Below are 5 Steps to Turn Setback into Triumph:
1. Start by taking measurements throughout your process
Before you can start learning from your setback, you need to start taking measurements throughout the process to understand why and how the setback occurred. Once you have the measured-data of the process, instead of by instinct, you can uncover the reason-why to the setback by a systematized, scientific way.
A goal without a measurement is just a dream. Without measurements, there’s nothing you can do but wake up and face the cold, hard reality.
Each time you start a new project, regardless of whether it is business or personal, start by identifying a measurable KPI that can track your progress. Each time you are challenged by a setback, document your KPI measurement on a line chart. Look at when everything started to go terribly wrong, and identify exactly what you did that initiated the setback.
“Life is a series of experiences, each one of which makes us bigger, even though sometimes it is hard to realize this. For the world was built to develop character, and we must learn that the setbacks and grieves which we endure help us in our marching onward.” – Henry Ford
2. Evaluate the skills and experiences you’ve acquired during the process
So you have run into a setback. It could be a catastrophic failure of the whole project. But looking back, your efforts are never wasted.
Every post you read taught you a new concept, every course you invested in allowed you to acquire a new set of skills, every dollar you spent transform into your experience, and every person you talked to initiated a new useful relationship.
After every setback, review and list all the different types of knowledge you acquired during the process.
- Acquired skills — This is the how-to knowledge you acquired during the process.
- Uncovered abilities — These are the innate talents or gifts you have uncovered through each attempt.
- Real life experiences — This is the accumulated wisdom from investing time and money applying your skills and abilities.
- Useful relationships — These are the relationships you’ve built with influencers and people who have valuable resources.
Each setback is an opportunity to discover your abilities and acquire new knowledge.
3. Identify what you need to learn now to ensure future success
So you know why and how you failed based on the measurements. You know what you’ve learned during the process by listing all your acquired knowledge. It’s time to prepare yourself to succeed the next time you are faced with the same situation.
To increase your odds of succeeding next time around, you need to improve on the other knowledge you are lacking.
Picking yourself up is more than just trying again. It means that you need to have a deeper understanding of what to do different next time. Learning the knowledge you don’t have. Acquiring the skills that you need. Building the relationship that will enhance your chances of success. Every setback is a chance to identify what else you need to learn.
4. Make the setback part of your story and be proud of it
Take a look at some of the most popular blog posts. Study the presentation of the most effective webinar. Almost all content that goes viral involves a story related to a particular setback (failure, big mistake, or near death experience).
And where does the best story start? The best stories often begin with failure.
You’ve already “invested” in the story. Use it well to resonate with others who are also experiencing the same setback.
“We are, as a species, addicted to stories. Even when the body goes to sleep, the mind stays up all night, telling itself stories.” – Jonathan Gottschall
5. Create a cross-out list of what doesn’t work
Thomas Edison is the most successful story for running into 1,000 setbacks.
Since setbacks are inevitable during the process, stop defining setback as a failure. Instead, define a setback as the success of finding out one more method that doesn’t work. Each setback is now a small triumph for you.
Only working during days you feel like working.
Working every single day without taking a break.
Working all by yourself in a locked up room.
Working with a mentor on a consistent 2-hour schedule.
If you understand that setbacks are inevitable during your journey to greatness, you know that you don’t need to be afraid of facing your next setback. Stop looking at setbacks as failures or mistakes. Start identifying the triumph behind each and every setback you encounter. The difference between a successful and unfortunate individual is the attitude they maintain during a setback and how they turn it into his or her advantage — into a total triumph.
How are you going to turn your setback into a triumph? Please leave your thoughts in the comment section below!
Image courtesy of Twenty20.com
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In workplaces around the world, there’s a growing gap between employers and employees and between superiors and their teams. It’s a common refrain: “People don’t leave companies, they leave bad bosses.”
While there are, of course, cases where management could do better, this isn’t just a “bad boss” problem. The relationship between leaders and employees is complex. Instead of assigning blame, we should explore practical solutions to build stronger, healthier workplaces where everyone thrives.
Why This Gap Exists
Every workplace needs someone to guide, supervise, and provide feedback. That’s essential for productivity and performance. But because there are usually far more employees than managers, dissatisfaction, fair or not, spreads quickly.
What if, instead of focusing on blame, we focused on building trust, empathy, and communication? This is where modern leadership and human-centered management can make a difference.
Tools and Techniques to Bridge the Gap
Here are proven strategies leaders and employees can use to foster stronger relationships and create a workplace where people actually want to stay.
1. Practice Mutual Empathy
Both managers and employees need to recognize they are ultimately on the same team. Leaders have to balance people and performance, and often face intense pressure to hit targets. Employees who understand this reality are more likely to cooperate and problem-solve collaboratively.
2. Maintain Professional Boundaries
Superiors should separate personal issues from professional decision-making. Consistency, fairness, and integrity build trust, and trust is the foundation of a motivated team.
3. Follow the Golden Rule
Treat people how you would like to be treated. This simple principle encourages compassion and respect, two qualities every effective leader must demonstrate.
4. Avoid Micromanagement
Micromanaging stifles creativity and damages morale. Great leaders see themselves as partners, not just bosses, and treat their teams as collaborators working toward a shared goal.
5. Empower Employees to Grow
Empowerment means giving employees responsibility that matches their capacity, and then trusting them to deliver. Encourage them to take calculated risks, learn from mistakes, and problem-solve independently. If something goes wrong, turn it into a learning opportunity, not a reprimand.
6. Communicate in All Directions
Communication shouldn’t just be top-down. Invite feedback, create open channels for suggestions, and genuinely listen to what your people have to say. Healthy upward communication closes gaps before they become conflicts.
7. Overcome Insecurities
Many leaders secretly fear being outshone by younger, more tech-savvy employees. Instead of resisting, embrace the chance to learn from them. Humility earns respect and helps the team innovate faster.
8. Invest in Coaching and Mentorship
True leaders grow other leaders. Provide mentorship, career guidance, and stretch opportunities so employees can develop new skills. Leadership is learned through experience, but guided experience is even more powerful.
9. Eliminate Favoritism
Avoid cliques and office politics. Decisions should be based on facts and fairness, not gossip. Objective, transparent decision-making builds credibility.
10. Recognize Efforts Promptly
Recognition often matters more than rewards. Publicly appreciate employees’ contributions and do so consistently and fairly. A timely “thank you” can be more motivating than a quarterly bonus.
11. Conduct Thoughtful Exit Interviews
When employees leave, treat it as an opportunity to learn. Keep interviews confidential and use the insights to improve management practices and culture.
12. Provide Leadership Development
Train managers to lead, not just supervise. Leadership development programs help shift mindsets from “command and control” to “coach and empower.” This transformation has a direct impact on morale and retention.
13. Adopt Soft Leadership Principles
Today’s workforce, largely millennials and Gen Z, value collaboration over hierarchy. Soft leadership focuses on partnership, mutual respect, and shared purpose, rather than rigid top-down control.
The Bigger Picture: HR’s Role
Mercer’s global research highlights five key priorities for organizations:
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Build diverse talent pipelines
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Embrace flexible work models
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Design compelling career paths
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Simplify HR processes
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Redefine the value HR brings
The challenge? Employers and employees often view these priorities differently. Bridging that perception gap is just as important as bridging the relational gap between leaders and staff.
Treat Employees Like Associates, Not Just Staff
When you treat employees like partners, they bring their best selves to work. HR leaders must develop strategies to keep talent engaged, empowered, and prepared for the future.
Organizational success starts with people, always. Build the relationship with your team first, and the results will follow.
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