Getting Through The Pain Of Setbacks
Plus, a personal story to make the point.
A few years ago, I was consulting for an EdTech company.
I thought the product was having an amazing impact on students but that we needed to improve usability. In fact, not only did I see usability as part of the software’s impact, but I also saw it as part of the consumer strategy.
One of the co-founders disagreed. There were multiple approaches we could have taken. We could have developed a consumer strategy, but we also could sell the software directly to schools. Additionally, we could have developed a strategy to sell the software to a larger company and seek an acquisition.
At the time, based on what I could see, I felt that the consumer strategy had the best odds. I pushed hard to redevelop the app with users in mind. I ran interviews with customers, I spoke with school districts, and I even shot a promotional video using a Pittsburgh school as the subject.
One of the co-founders disagreed. He had a different approach and wanted to see that through.
I had a hammer and this looked like a nail.
Looking back, it seems a lot like I had a hammer and saw a nail. I best knew how to market and sell direct-to-consumer. He best knew how to get acquired. So, I guess you could say that he had a screwdriver and he saw Phillip’s heads.
In the end, we decided to end my consulting contract and I started working on other projects.
A few years later, I heard the news that the company had been acquired. Not only was I proud of what they’d accomplished, but I was also so happy that the software was going to continue helping students.
When I look back at that experience, I remember that there wasn’t a right or wrong answer. I realize, in retrospect, that we could have taken any of those paths and still had a chance at success. I was just looking at how I was best equipped to contribute.
My point here is that there are often multiple paths to a successful outcome.
Well-intentioned, bad advice.
Somehow, even knowing this, it’s so easy to get wrapped up in the “right way” and the “wrong way” to do things.
If you want to succeed in marketing, you have to do everything Seth Godin says or you’re going to fail.
If you want to succeed in writing, you have to write every day, like Stephen King says, or you’re going to fail.
If you want to succeed in dieting, you have to commit to keto.
We love tactical checklists and rules. They make success feel possible. They make success feel like it’s within our control to achieve.
The truth is much less satisfying.
There are other factors, like opportunity, timing, and access to resources, that can play a huge role in our success.
It’s easy to get sucked into well-intentioned, bad advice. And most of it is “here are the 8 numbers I used to win the lottery.”
So, instead of looking at others’ stories and trying to make them fit into our own, I encourage you to take in lots of information and try it all on. See what fits, make adjustments, keep moving, and keep adjusting.
What’s more important than a roadmap or a concrete list of milestones is the relentless resilience to realize that setbacks, roadblocks, and wipeouts are all requisite and imminent. It’s the thought habit of noticing that when things break, it’s not the same as defeat.
It sounds so easy, even as I write this, but I forget this all the time. There are lots of roads to success. Probably several per human. Most of them aren’t right or wrong.
Remembering this is something I’m finding useful when I’m feeling the pain of a setback.
I hope this helps you remember, too.