Developing Up

Dealing with Setbacks

Episode Summary

The path of development is full of wrong turns, pitfalls and mistakes. You cannot control when they will occur, but you can control how you react to them. In this episode we discuss what to do when development setbacks occur and how to approach them with a positive mindset. Show note for this episode can be found at http://www.developingup.com/22

Episode Notes

The path of development is full of wrong turns, pitfalls and mistakes. You cannot control when a setback will occur on your project, on your team or in your career. What you can control is how you react to the situation. In this episode we discuss what to do when development setbacks occur and how to approach them with a positive mindset. We outline a four step approach towards tackling setbacks and turning them into grown opportunities.

Four Steps for Dealing with Setbacks

• Acknowledge: Accept that a mistake has happened, do not ignore it.
• Understand: Evaluate why the setback occurred. What lead up to it?
• Plan: Establish a plan of attack to fix the problem and prevent it from happening again.
• Execute: take action on your plan and monitor your progress.

Key Takeaways

• Setbacks are going to happen in your projects, teams, career
• you cannot control when setbacks occur, but you can control your reaction to them.
• When faced with a setback: Acknowledge, Understand, Plan and Execute.
• Don’t dwell on your past mistakes, always focus on what is next.

Listener Challenges

• Share with us how you have dealt with development setbacks.
• Reflect on how a past setback has helped your development career grow.

Links from this Episode

• Hit by a Bus Scenario

Previous Episodes Mentioned

• Establishing Office Connections