September Newsletter: Leadership Resilience: The Art of Bouncing Back

How we respond to failures and bounce back from our mistakes can make or break our careers.

Take the example of two MBA graduates who were laid off from their positions during the recession. Both were distraught. Being fired provoked feelings of sadness, indecisiveness and anxiety about the future.

For one, the mood was transient. Within two weeks he was telling himself, "It's not my fault; it's the economy. I'm good at what I do, and there's a market for my skills." He updated his resume and, after several failed attempts, finally landed a position.

The other spiraled further into hopelessness. "I got fired because I can't perform well under pressure," he lamented. "I'm not cut out for finance; the economy will take years to recover." Even after the market improved, he was reluctant to apply for positions and feared rejection.

How these individuals handled failure illustrates opposite ends of the spectrum.

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