Why some people grow from setbacks and others don’t

Two people can face similar difficult situations at work, but one may be enlightened by it, while the other just shrugs and moves on. Why? Todd J. Maurer writes that experience alone cannot help people develop along their careers. What can make a difference are the insights that they draw from those situations. He identifies two underlying characteristics of people who learn from setbacks: they look for causes within themselves and then work out ways to improve them.

 
Experiences shape lives…difficult experiences shape people. We all face challenging circumstances in professional careers from time to time. But how is it that some people take away valuable lessons and new insights that strengthen and improve them while others don’t? Two people can go through the same tough experience at work, but one may be enlightened in his/her overall effectiveness as a result, while the other just shrugs and moves on. As managers and executives navigate a disruptive world, beyond knowledge of technology and strategy in uncertain times, they increasingly need to understand how talent can grow from challenges. New insights into the mindsets and thinking skills that allow positive outcomes to flow from difficult circumstances is uniquely valuable – both personally and for developing a workforce.

Experience can be a powerful teacher and is considered to be the largest influence on employee and leader development in the workplace, but research suggests that it is not experiences alone that offer people learning and development. Rather, it is largely the meaning and insights that they draw from those experiences, during and after, that can affect their future behaviour. Reflection on experiences is a common everyday occurrence, but not everyone is good at reflecting in a developmentally constructive way. While it is common in business literature to address differences in things like leadership style, personality, or communication skills, addressing differences in how people reflect on their prior challenging experiences is a relatively unique addition to understanding and shaping professional and leadership development.

 
Συνέχεια εδώ

Πηγή: blogs.lse.ac.uk