17 answers
CareerVillage Office Hours
Student
Palo Alto, California
574
Questions
Asked
1484 views
How do you bounce back from a decision that didn’t go as planned ?
How do you bounce back from a decision that didn’t go as planned?
Login to comment
17 answers
Howard Christiansen
Professor
69
Answers
New York, New York
Updated
Howard’s Answer
Setbacks are a normal part of life and leadership. Challenges and disappointments happen to everyone, so you're not alone.
Think about how important this situation is in the grand scheme of things. Is it a big deal or not? Try to focus on the good things in your life, and remember that everyone makes mistakes. These mistakes help you grow and learn.
Take a moment to think about what went wrong, and apologize if needed. Then, let it go and keep moving forward.
Think about how important this situation is in the grand scheme of things. Is it a big deal or not? Try to focus on the good things in your life, and remember that everyone makes mistakes. These mistakes help you grow and learn.
Take a moment to think about what went wrong, and apologize if needed. Then, let it go and keep moving forward.
Marlene Galvan
performance and accountability
7
Answers
Chandler, Arizona
Updated
Marlene’s Answer
Learn from it and be willing to implement what you learned from the decision.
Jerome Dees Jr.
Sales Professional and Networking Expert
833
Answers
San Francisco, California
Updated
Jerome’s Answer
What advice would you give to a friend or family member who came up short? You would likely encourage them to keep going. You might remind them that the only time we truly fail is if we give up. The tricky part is to follow that advice ourselves.
I tried to be kind to those around me and I just have to remind myself to also be kind to me. Hope that helps!
I tried to be kind to those around me and I just have to remind myself to also be kind to me. Hope that helps!
ASLON VAROQUA
Digital Marketing
19
Answers
Wayne, New Jersey
Updated
ASLON’s Answer
How do you recover when things don't go as planned?
Let's start with some truths:
- You learn more from mistakes than from getting it right.
- Every failure is a step toward success.
- Failure encourages growth, resilience, and new ideas.
Now, on how to bounce back: First, accept that most people fail more often than they succeed. If you're not failing, you're not trying hard enough. Failures are part of the journey to success. If you're afraid to fail, you'll miss out on trying and succeeding.
Next, figure out why things didn't work out. Understanding this helps you improve your chances next time. Sharing what you learned shows you're growing stronger.
Finally, keep going. Think of a video game where you face a tough level. You might fail several times, but each try teaches you something new. You see patterns, adjust your strategy, and eventually win.
In short, see each failure as a learning moment that brings you closer to success. Accept it, expect it, and keep moving forward!
Let's start with some truths:
- You learn more from mistakes than from getting it right.
- Every failure is a step toward success.
- Failure encourages growth, resilience, and new ideas.
Now, on how to bounce back: First, accept that most people fail more often than they succeed. If you're not failing, you're not trying hard enough. Failures are part of the journey to success. If you're afraid to fail, you'll miss out on trying and succeeding.
Next, figure out why things didn't work out. Understanding this helps you improve your chances next time. Sharing what you learned shows you're growing stronger.
Finally, keep going. Think of a video game where you face a tough level. You might fail several times, but each try teaches you something new. You see patterns, adjust your strategy, and eventually win.
In short, see each failure as a learning moment that brings you closer to success. Accept it, expect it, and keep moving forward!
McKenzie Stephenson
Assistant Merchandise Manager
3
Answers
Orlando, Florida
Updated
McKenzie’s Answer
Set backs and mistakes often lead to some of the biggest and best changes in life. Things are never going to go completely as planned. That is just how life works however, you'll find a lot more happiness and success by going with the flow of things and adapting to those changes. Any set backs should be taken as lessons. Learn from what you experience and use your newfound knowledge to become a better version of yourself. You will always learn more from mistakes and set back than you will when things go perfectly.
Leonard Bernens
Operations Manager
4
Answers
Huntersville, North Carolina
Updated
Leonard’s Answer
Making decisions, whether good or bad, is part of learning. Check what information you used and whether you talked to a colleague or expert. No matter how you reached your decision, review the inputs and understand why things didn't go as planned. Most importantly, stay positive and don't get discouraged.
Junaid Azam
Senior Manager Operations Consulting Services
3
Answers
Prosper, Texas
Updated
Junaid’s Answer
Here's my story. I left a stable job in Pakistan to work in Kuwait, but after six months, my visa couldn't be extended, and I had to return home. It felt like a big setback, but within a few months, I motivated myself to apply again and got a contractor role in the Maldives. After six months there, I landed a permanent position in Dubai with the same company, Motorola. Looking back, while many from my team are still in contractor roles in Kuwait, I am thankful for how things turned out. This experience taught me that setbacks are just part of life, like learning to ride a bike: you might fall, but you get up and try again.
Hind Roubos
Executive Management
5
Answers
Danville, California
Updated
Hind’s Answer
Just realize you made a decision at least which is a great first start. Give yourself some grace, learn from it and move on!
Michael Gigliotti
Manager
5
Answers
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Updated
Michael’s Answer
In work (and in life), some decisions won't go as planned. The biggest thing is learning from those decisions. What did go well AND what made it go wrong? Understanding what happened is vital. Without thinking through all sides of the situation, you could end up under- or over-correcting. In business, I have often seen overreactions to failure that just lead to new and different failure. Making the proper adjustment is key.
Leah Lengel
Global Events Marketing Coordinator
6
Answers
New Albany, Indiana
Updated
Leah’s Answer
Hi there! This is a great question. I currently work in an industry where there's a ton of change (tech) and there's moments where expectation is not reality. I think it's important to remember that you're human. If you're the type of person that gets frustrated by unexpected change or seeing that something didn't turn out the way you planned, that is okay. Take a breather. Go for a walk. Allow yourself to feel. From there, you can evaluate what happened.
1.) What went wrong? See what potential mistakes happened and evaluate them.
2.) How can you learn from this? From the mistakes, how can you avoid them in the future?
3.) Ask for help. If you're unsure what to do for next steps, feel free to ask a peer or someone within leadership to help you. Asking can help you gain a different perspective that you might not have thought of previously.
4.) Keep going. Things happen and that's a part of life. In order to success, you need to keep going.
Although it can be frustrating, use this as a way to learn from it and to grow. I hope this helps!
1.) What went wrong? See what potential mistakes happened and evaluate them.
2.) How can you learn from this? From the mistakes, how can you avoid them in the future?
3.) Ask for help. If you're unsure what to do for next steps, feel free to ask a peer or someone within leadership to help you. Asking can help you gain a different perspective that you might not have thought of previously.
4.) Keep going. Things happen and that's a part of life. In order to success, you need to keep going.
Although it can be frustrating, use this as a way to learn from it and to grow. I hope this helps!
Kerith Brandt, MPAS, CMQ, PA-C, LE
Physician Assistant
1
Answer
Gainesville, Florida
Updated
Kerith’s Answer
Great question!
What has helped me grow and not dwell on mistakes/ unappealing outcomes is to practice being humble and being very comfortable at self-critique. Productive critique, not the kind that keeps you from moving forward.
Remember, hindsight is gift of clarity we don't receive until the event has passed - use that gift! Assess the situation and what you think went wrong. Be eager to identify the mistake and have enthusiasm for correcting and making the next task/project better. Ask for feedback at every opportunity, and maybe particularly from those people who you're most afraid of hearing from (eg. the supervisor you most respect and don't want them to see you in a negative light). Practice asking for feedback in all kinds of situations; receive the feedback as a gift, not a personal attack. This takes practice.
The space between not knowing and knowing is not a straight line. Be assured that failure is a universal experience and an essential part of getting you to "knowing".
Keep at it!
What has helped me grow and not dwell on mistakes/ unappealing outcomes is to practice being humble and being very comfortable at self-critique. Productive critique, not the kind that keeps you from moving forward.
Remember, hindsight is gift of clarity we don't receive until the event has passed - use that gift! Assess the situation and what you think went wrong. Be eager to identify the mistake and have enthusiasm for correcting and making the next task/project better. Ask for feedback at every opportunity, and maybe particularly from those people who you're most afraid of hearing from (eg. the supervisor you most respect and don't want them to see you in a negative light). Practice asking for feedback in all kinds of situations; receive the feedback as a gift, not a personal attack. This takes practice.
The space between not knowing and knowing is not a straight line. Be assured that failure is a universal experience and an essential part of getting you to "knowing".
Keep at it!
Michael Rill
Program Management
5
Answers
Redmond, Washington
Updated
Michael’s Answer
Decisions not going as planned happens a lot. Even with the best preparation, there’s no guarantee everything will turn out the way you hoped. That doesn’t mean preparation isn’t important, because it increases your odds of success, but it can’t eliminate uncertainty.
When things don’t go well, the most important step is to learn from it. Look at where things went wrong and ask what you could have done differently. At the same time, remember that hindsight is 20/20. A bad outcome doesn’t always mean it was a bad decision. The key is to separate flaws in your decision-making process from plain bad luck.
If the process was weak, adjust it for next time. If the process was strong, accept that outcomes are never guaranteed. Over time, this balance between preparation, reflection, and acceptance makes it easier to bounce back with confidence.
When things don’t go well, the most important step is to learn from it. Look at where things went wrong and ask what you could have done differently. At the same time, remember that hindsight is 20/20. A bad outcome doesn’t always mean it was a bad decision. The key is to separate flaws in your decision-making process from plain bad luck.
If the process was weak, adjust it for next time. If the process was strong, accept that outcomes are never guaranteed. Over time, this balance between preparation, reflection, and acceptance makes it easier to bounce back with confidence.
Don Holland
Member Service Representative/Food Runner
244
Answers
Austin, Texas
Updated
Don’s Answer
Hello CVOH,
This is a very complex and interesting question for me. I would say that i've had a good amount of setbacks or things that have not gone my way in life when it comes to different decisions. I think there are many different ways that I move forward with things like self-reflecting on what I did, understanding that what has happened was for a reason, understanding that there are other options available, believing/repairing the belief I have in myself, taking time to heal and much more. When things don't go the way you want, you can either give up or move forward in life. It is important to recognize that challenges are apart of life and the only thing you can control is how you react to different situations. Thank you for this question!
This is a very complex and interesting question for me. I would say that i've had a good amount of setbacks or things that have not gone my way in life when it comes to different decisions. I think there are many different ways that I move forward with things like self-reflecting on what I did, understanding that what has happened was for a reason, understanding that there are other options available, believing/repairing the belief I have in myself, taking time to heal and much more. When things don't go the way you want, you can either give up or move forward in life. It is important to recognize that challenges are apart of life and the only thing you can control is how you react to different situations. Thank you for this question!
Jenna Parzivand
Recruiting Senior Manager
3
Answers
Boston, Massachusetts
Updated
Jenna’s Answer
Understanding that mistakes are a natural part of life is important, as they often teach us valuable lessons for the future. These setbacks can sometimes lead to exciting new passions or experiences. I've faced many ups and downs in both my personal and work life, and it's not always easy to see in the moment. However, what we think of as failures can actually have a positive impact and teach us more about ourselves. It's helpful to take a step back and think about what advice you would give a friend or colleague, and then apply that same kindness to yourself.
Jake Gasaway
Sales Vice President
2
Answers
Elmhurst, Illinois
Updated
Jake’s Answer
I follow a 24-hour rule for most decisions, wins, or losses. Whether something good or bad happens, I give myself, my team, or my kids 24 hours to learn from it, then we move on. It's not always easy, especially if it has a big impact, but learning quickly and moving forward is crucial. Staying stuck won't help. Moving on matters. Even small steps count, so take them quickly.
Deepthi Kapila
Senior Director
6
Answers
Seattle, Washington
Updated
Deepthi’s Answer
You don't just bounce back from a setback. You leapfrog. Much farther. Much stronger. When my kids were little, i often used to watch in awe as they fell and stood up thousands of times before they could figure out how to use their legs to walk. They often reminded me and still do, till today, that when we were young, we didn't treat 'setbacks' as failures.. just merely as a stepping stone to get to where we are meant to be. There was no self-judgment. These stepping stones help us in creating clarity in our trajectory - accelerating or tweaking the path. So the first thing is the just a shift in mindset to treat setbacks as normal part of life. Then equally important is to pause, reflect on what it is that we would do differently from the previous experience to make the next time "better". Best of Luck!
Danielle Aditi
Proposal Management (and team lead)
4
Answers
Aberdeen, Washington
Updated
Danielle’s Answer
Accept responsibility where appropriate, seek feedback and data to understand why, learn the lesson and move on!