How to Handle Setbacks Without Losing Motivation

I've recently suffered a major career setback. Since I teach about high performance and career growth, I want to share how I am addressing it. One day you will need this recipe yourself! My goal in my current "career" is to reach as many people as I can, and to help them achieve career success and satisfaction. For the last three years, the way to do this has been through LinkedIn. Unfortunately, LinkedIn recently made some unknown changes to their algorithm. Other Top Voices and I have noticed a drop of 70% to 80% in the reach of our posts. Since my goal is to share my knowledge with more people, that means my goal just took an 80% hit. In general, setbacks in performance are either due to: A) Something we did Or B) Something external, outside our direct control Mistakes, poor decisions, and missed deadlines are examples of A. They are in our control. Things like Covid, high interest rates, and reorganizations at work are examples of B, outside our control. LinkedIn's change is also case B, outside my control. When a setback comes from something in your control, you know clearly what you did wrong and what you need to change to restore your performance and progress. Fixing your own issues may take time and be difficult, but you know what to do. When the setback is due to something outside your control, you do not know how to fix the issue. So, how can we react when our performance is shattered and we do not know why? Here is my recipe: 1. Allow yourself a fixed amount of time to grieve (and complain if you wish). Emotions are real, and before you can move on you will need to sit with those emotions. But, do not get stuck in them. Curse your bad luck, pout for a minute, etc. Then, move to the next step. 2. Refocus on your core value. Whatever happened, go back to how you define high performance to ensure it is still relevant. I admit, I slipped into defining my own performance by how many people viewed my LinkedIn posts. This was a mistake. My mission is to help others, so getting views is a proxy, not a result. And, using LinkedIn is just a method for the mission, not the mission itself. 3. Adapt your core value if you must (if its value has decreased). In my case, the value of what I offer hasn't changed, the external delivery system has. 4. Once you adapt and/or increase your value, find new ways to deliver it if necessary. Luckily, I have other options for reaching people: my Substack newsletter, YouTube, etc. Since Substack has been such a good partner recently, I will start there. I have also refocused how I write on LinkedIn to make every post focused on my goal. 5. Test, measure, adapt, repeat! Really, this step is everything. Once you get past the grief, jump into action in this loop. Nothing can stop you if you keep working to refine, deliver, and showcase your core value. Comments? Here's my newsletter, which is my next area of investment: https://lnkd.in/gXh2pdK2

Turning setbacks into setups for success: 3 case studies that changed everything. Case 1: Lost my biggest client (40% of revenue) The setback: Monday morning email. "We're going in a different direction." $180K/year. Gone. The setup: Forced me to diversify. Built 12 revenue streams instead of 3. Never dependent on one client again. Result: Revenue up 250% in 18 months. Case 2: Algorithm tanked my reach The setback: Went from 300K impressions to 90K overnight. Thought my business would die. Engagement dropped 67%. The setup: Started building real relationships. Stopped chasing vanity metrics. Focused on DMs over likes. Result: Closed $450K from "low engagement" posts. Case 3: Partnership betrayal cost me $75K The setback: Business partner disappeared with client funds. Left me holding the bag. Almost bankrupted me. The setup: Built ironclad systems. Learned to trust but verify. Became fiercely independent. Result: Built Brand Built with a REAL partner, thriving today. Every setback is a setup in disguise. But only if you look for it. Most people see closed doors. Winners see redirections. Most people see failures. Winners see data. Most people see endings. Winners see beginnings. The formula: 1. Accept the hit (don't deny reality) 2. Ask "What is this making possible?" 3. Act on the new opportunity 4. Appreciate the redirect later My biggest setbacks became my biggest advantages: → Algorithm changes taught me authenticity → Losing clients taught me independence → Betrayal taught me sovereignty → Failure taught me resilience Let's face it: You're either winning or learning. Never losing. But here's the key: You have to choose to see it that way. In the moment. When it hurts. When it's hard. Because setbacks don't automatically become setups. You have to set them up. Your turn: What setback are you sitting on right now? More importantly: What setup is it offering you? Look closer. It's there. It always is.

A client came to me this week feeling completely knocked down. ▪️A major deal fell through. ▪️A surprise expense hit his family hard. ▪️A leadership opportunity he was banking on got delayed. He was frustrated and questioning everything—his strategy, his decisions, even his ability to lead. When the hits come all at once, it’s easy to spiral. But this is where resilience isn’t just about bouncing back—it’s about reframing. We broke down what happened, and put it back together with a powerful reframe: ▪️ The lost deal is a chance to reassess, refine his approach, and come back with an attractive alternative. ▪️ The unexpected expense is covered and it’s a reminder that this is why he was disciplined with his savings. ▪️ The delayed promotion is giving him more time in a less demanding role, and he can put that extra effort into another area he’s pursuing. To be clear, reframing isn’t about pretending everything is fine. It’s about shifting from a negative reaction to a positive response. Instead of staying stuck in frustration, he walked away with a clear plan to adapt, pivot, and move forward. And that’s the a winning strategy for executives. The stakes are always high—at work, at home, in every decision. But if we let setbacks define us, we lose sight of our impact. When life throws a curveball, ask yourself: ▪️ What’s the lesson here? ▪️ Where’s the opportunity? ▪️ How do I adapt and move forward? The faster you reframe, the stronger you become. #ExecutiveDads #Resilience #Leadership #Reframe #Mindset #Growth #Coaching #Success

𝗦𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝗲𝘁𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸𝘀? 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝘂𝗲𝗹. Most professionals avoid talking about failures. They hide setbacks, downplay disappointments, and move on quickly. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵: Every leader who has built something great has also failed greatly. What separates 𝘁𝗼𝗽-𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 from the rest is not that they avoid failure—it’s how they use it to grow. 📌 𝗜𝗻 𝗺𝘆 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴, I teach leaders a 𝟳-𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 to turn setbacks into wisdom. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘆𝗲𝘁 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗲: ✅ 𝗞𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗮 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 – Write down disappointments instead of ignoring them. ✅ 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗮 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵 – Identify what you’ve learned from each setback. ✅ 𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘀 – Find the unexpected good that came from it. ✅ 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗲 – Stop seeing it as an end; start seeing it as a lesson. ✅ 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗴𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲 – Track your growth and mindset shifts. ✅ 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 – Struggle builds resilience, not comfort. ✅ 𝗧𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 – Every failure is a stepping stone to success. 💡 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗲—𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝘁. Leaders who embrace this mindset become unstoppable. I work with executives who are ready to 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 and lead with clarity, confidence, and resilience. 𝗣.𝗦. 📢 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝘀𝗲𝘁𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀, 𝘿𝙈 𝙢𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖 𝙘𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙯𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙧𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠 𝙩𝙤 𝙪𝙣𝙡𝙤𝙘𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙛𝙪𝙡𝙡 𝙥𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙖𝙡. #peakimpactmentorship  #Leadership #growth