“Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it”– Charles Swindoll
Dealing with disappointments at work is a major example of how overcoming the obstacle is more important than the obstacle itself. There may be times that the project you’ve been working on for months suddenly got canceled or perhaps you didn’t get the promotion you really wanted, or at worst your closest friend at work took a job elsewhere.
For some reasons, we cannot expect a person to deal with disappointments like a machine. It is true that some people can handle tough emotions than the others but you should keep in mind that each and one of us deal with emotions differently; most especially if these emotions are triggered. Nevertheless, professional disappointments are still disappointments and dealing with them appropriately is essential to be successful. With that, here are some ways on how you can deal with disappointments at work:
Be Polite and Respectful
©Sandler.com
There is no doubt that bad news comes so quickly and it is much easier to smash out the person who delivers it. But despite that, you can always resist the temptation. Bear in mind that you don’t have to be aggressive and you must not engage yourself in backstabbing because there are unproductive behaviors. The worst thing about it is that it can limit your career growth. As a matter of fact, there is this saying: “To disagree, one doesn’t have to be disagreeable,” which means you can have a different opinion about a certain person without becoming his/her enemy.
To be able to do this, you must be polite and respectful. Don’t let disagreements build walls between you and other people. You must not attack or belittle personally if you don’t agree with him/her. You can always attack the idea or decision but never attack the person behind it.
Be Truthful
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If you are really good at hiding emotions, then that is good for you. But then, a lot of people can’t hide their emotions and it can be seen easily on their faces or even in the tone of their voices.
You must try to be honest about it because people easily see that you are disappointed. Nonetheless, if you are not comfortable with sharing your disappointments in details you don’t have to do it. You just have to respond to appropriate questions with openness and grace. If you can’t answer the question, then you can speak up, it is better to be honest than to make up an answer. People can easily see if you are bluffing your response because your words and your character don’t match. In that case, your colleagues will trust you less.
Don’t Decide Recklessly
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Deciding recklessly is very similar to scolding out other people. Despite that our emotions and tempers can be triggered and heightened, you must not let your emotions take over and dictate your behavior. Remember, it may seem very easy to attack someone who disappoints you, but doing that will not make you feel better. When you are disappointed, you are not in the right state of mind to make decisions; therefore, you must cool down first to be able to decide correctly.
Get Over It As Soon As Possible
©The nest
Getting over a disappointment can take a little or a lot of time depending on how devastating it is. For instance, having insufficient money for a particular project can be a minor disappointment. On the other hand, if you think someone’s promotion is not well-deserved since you think you are more deserving, then, it’s a major disappointment.
Try to get over to any disappointment as soon as possible as you cannot change the situation. You must cope with the situation, move on, and be resilient because when you stay in the dumps for a longer period of time, people will pull you down. Your colleagues expect a bit of sadness, and a perceptive boss expects minor, temporary dips in employee engagement and productivity.
Unluckily, if you can’t move on with the disappointment, it is advised that you seek Professional help. There are a number of employers who are hiring trained personnel to help their employees process their emotions. You don’t have to be ashamed of asking help in case you have to.
Decide On What You Have To Do Next
©leadinghigher.com
There are different kinds of disappointments; some of them are easy to process and easy to get over with while some are not. If you have to deal with the hardest disappointment, you have to think really hard and decide what to do next. Remember, don’t make reckless decisions.
Maybe it takes a little time for you to be able to move on, but in the end, you may need to find another job. You can take an advice from the one you truly trust and make the best decisions given the information that you have but in the end, only you can decide on what you are going to do next.
Cover Photo Credits: Theiembassy.com