Growing up, I never thought much about setbacks and challenges. I was always content with the status quo and stayed within my comfort zone. However, as I gained experience as a young adult, I quickly realized that life doesn’t always go as planned.
The first significant setback I faced was during my early years as a manager. Despite my high expectations, my new team proved challenging as things unfolded differently than I had envisioned.
One of my team members was constantly causing conflict and creating a toxic work environment. I tried everything I could to address the situation, but nothing seemed to work. I began to feel like a failure as a manager, and I started to doubt my abilities.
During this challenging time, I stumbled upon Don Miguel Ruiz’s “The Four Agreements,” a much-needed source of guidance and inspiration. The book talks about four principles to live by, one of which is “Don’t Take Anything Personally.” This principle resonated because I realized I was taking the situation personally with my team member. I allowed their behavior to affect my self-esteem and confidence as a manager.
I decided to take a step back and reevaluate the situation. I started to think about why my team member behaved the way they were. After a conversation with this time member, I discovered they were going through some personal issues outside of work that was causing them to act out. Once I understood this, I could approach the situation with more empathy and understanding. I worked with my team member to find a solution that worked for everyone, and we were able to move forward as a team.
This experience taught me the value of embracing setbacks and challenges. Instead of allowing them to bring me down, I learned to use them as opportunities for growth and learning. By not taking things personally, I approached the situation with a clear and level head, which allowed me to find a solution that worked for everyone.
Since then, I have faced many setbacks and challenges in both my personal and professional life. But each time, I have used the lessons I learned from that experience to approach the situation positively and be willing to learn. And every time, I have come out stronger and more resilient than before.
Dr. James D. Washington
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