Overcoming Career Disappointment
Events like the recent shuffle at the top of Delta Airlines -- during which both of the internal front-runners were passed over for promotion to CEO -- offer an opportunity for each of us to reflect on how we deal with disappointment, be it professional or personal. I have worked with many people as they face such situations and can offer a few suggestions. First, pay attention to the emotional impact of the disappointment. Do not try to deny, rationalize or minimize it. Let it play out without either suppressing it or acting on impulses to express your feelings in inappropriate settings. You may feel numb at first (“this isn’t happening or “it doesn’t matter”) or experience intense feelings of anger, hurt, or self-criticism. This is all to be expected. Career shocks are events that set a process in motion. They offer an opportunity for both personal and personal development. This is not to deny the fact that they are painful and can be, for a certain period of time, disorienting. The...