It happens to all of us from time to time. Suddenly you realise that everything is going wrong at work – Out of nowhere, an argument has erupted with a key customer; your next project is cancelled; that key worker passes away unexpectedly; and much more.

What do you do?

In truth, all of these happened to various clients and acquaintances of mine this week. You could claim that I have jinxed them. From the depths of their despair, they turn round and say: “You are my business coach and mentor. What do I do now?”

It is not so much a request as a demand for you to wave a magic wand and to make it all better in a jiffy. I suppose it is somewhat ironic that as I wrote this, I happened to be listening to R.E.M. play “It’s a bad day“!

Motivating is rarely the easy task as television and the cinema portray. We all wish that we had a Herb Brooks speech ready-to-go at the drop of a hat. You can hear him now urging on his ice hockey troupe –  “You were born for this”.

It ain’t that easy. I was running in the Jerusalem marathon a couple of weeks ago, and was in desperate need of some choice words just past the half way mark. Nobody was around. I had to make a determined effort to change my line of thought.

This assertiveness is a trait that some prefer to ignore. It is seemingly easier to be placid and friendly. I suggested to one CEO this week how it can be applied at work. However, by the end of the day he had written a brief email, describing how the advice had backfired. I actually believe that he may have blinded by immediate setbacks, which will be replaced by longer term achievements.

Hollywood actor Will Smith in a recent video put this very succinctly.

When you get to the gym and work out, you are seeking failure.

Now there’s a thought. Yup, he is right. He could even have said that we want to fail in order to succeed. And that is why is went on to state:

Get comfortable with failure……….because that is where growth is.

Remarkably, a few hours after listening to Smith, I came across a quote from an old man with a strange bushy haircut. “Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.” (Albert Einstein).

So, next time you have a “downer” at work,……………