Like it or not, dealing with rejection is an important part of professional development. I have dealt with it and I don’t know a single successful woman who hasn’t – professionally, personally, or both. So clearly, being rejected in and of itself doesn’t have to be an indicator of future failure. In fact, channeled properly, rejection can be something that makes you all the more determined to win or advance the next time. That has been true for many of the female CEO’s I’ve worked with.
Furthermore, rejection didn’t just motivate them; it also made them more resilient. And it helped them realize that no matter how successful they’ve become, they will never be perfect. Recognizing and remembering that even you – as great as you may be – won’t always come up with the best answer, is no small feat. However, it’s an important lesson to learn—especially in leadership, where success revolves around effectively working with teams. Leaders need to be aware of both the benefits of their strengths and the pitfalls of their weaknesses.
That said, I’m not suggesting you should seek out rejection. I’m just saying you shouldn’t be afraid of it. It’s most likely going to happen to everyone at some point–and likely more than once. And if it hasn’t happened to you yet, it probably means you haven’t been taking enough risks. So don’t fear rejection, instead focus on how to recover. And for that, my advice is simple:
1. Learn to view rejection as one of the best learning opportunities you could have.
2. When rejection does happen, don’t shut down or blame others. Instead, seek honest feedback, reflect, and learn from it.
3. Once you’ve learned all you can from the situation, decide what you’ll do differently in the future.
4. Pick yourself up and move forward.
More About Perry Yeatman: Yeatman is the CEO of Your Career • Your Terms® a company dedicated to helping women build the careers and lives of their dreams - from launching on the right trajectory; to surviving the mid-career marathon; to thriving within the executive ranks. Perry’s unique approach combines a deep understanding and passion for career advancement with decades of real world experience as a global business executive, C-suite consultant and award-winning author. This enables her to achieve transformational results for her clients. To learn more about what she can do for you, go to www.yourcareeryourterms.com or contact Perry at Perry@yourcareeryourterms.com.
