Writer and executive coach Blair Glaser advises leaning on others and dealing with your feelings when facing having to start over in your career. Courtesy of Blair Glaser

Even the most seasoned professional has experienced a career setback. Whether it’s large and potentially life-altering, like a job loss or global pandemic, or small, like an event that didn’t quite hit the projected attendance figures or a new event feature that fell flat, professionals have faced setbacks of all kinds. They can shake the confidence of the most seasoned pro, but viewing them with the right perspective can help you stage your comeback much quicker.

Rather than be devastated by the episode, many professionals — including meeting and event planners — see setbacks as opportunities. What some might view as a loss is seen by others as a step toward charting a new professional course, giving a new event offering another chance and generally learning from the situation.

There’s no “one size fits all” response to a setback. Fear, sadness and anger are common emotions initially, but dwelling too long on that emotion can prevent you from moving forward. Depending on the type and scale of the setback, a period of recovery may be necessary. For instance, a planner looking to save face after an event plagued by technical issues will likely have a quicker recovery time than one trying to find a new event planning role or launching their own business.

Reflect and Regroup

Moving on from a setback like a job loss can take time. Planners should give themselves permission to take that time and use it wisely. Chelsey Coslett-Traver gave herself a few weeks to regroup following the double setback of a divorce and job loss. She is the manager of marketing and stakeholder engagement for Northeast Pennsylvania Industrial Resource Center (NEPIRC), a not-for-profit technical assistance firm that provides world-class assessment, performance evaluation, training and consultative services to small and mid-sized manufacturers throughout northeastern, the northern tier, and parts of central Pennsylvania.

“I personally think there’s always that first inclination for self pity and to wallow in the negative,” she says. “I think because we’re human, that’s our first inclination, but I also feel the longer we hinder our ability to move forward — it’ll just be longer until we can actually do something about the setback.”

Coslett-Traver is a believer in taking some time to regroup and reflect, but taking too much time makes it easier to put off making a fresh start. In her case, she tried to be objective. The day after she lost her job, she received a text from her aunt inviting her to purchase a one-way ticket to visit her in Florida. “I’m very Type A, so just to get a one-way ticket was very unlike me,” Coslett-Traver says. “I stayed for about two weeks, and even thought about moving to Florida. Obviously, I didn’t, and then COVID-19 hit, but after taking those two weeks, I was ready to figure out what I wanted to do to move forward.”

In her role at NEPIRC, Coslett-Traver oversees the planning and execution of Manufacturing Day, just one of the organization’s signature events normally held each fall. While not exactly a setback, she says, “In 2020, our Manufacturing Day was virtual. Fall of 2021 would be our first in-person event, and the first time I planned an event of that magnitude with several sponsors and exhibitors.”

However, the shadow of COVID-19 was still lingering over events. NEPIRC’s Manufacturing Day was scheduled for October 6, 2021. At the end of September, the COVID numbers were going up again, and there was talk of other local events being postponed.

A week before the event, Coslett-Traver’s boss made the difficult decision to postpone it until spring 2022. “I had to call all 50-plus sponsors and explain the situation. We actually didn’t lose a single sponsor, and it turned out to be positive because, in the additional months, we were able to secure 20 more. It was just a letdown because sometimes the motivation to keep you going with a big event is the light at the end of the tunnel, and then for me, it was moved.”

Starting over can be overwhelming, so begin where you are. “It’s important to deal with your feelings and your grief in a way that works for you. Maybe you lean on your family or therapy. Some don’t have the luxury of doing that,” says Blair Glaser, writer and executive coach from Los Angeles, CA. “It’s really about finding the balance that’s right for you and your circumstance.”

While reflecting on events leading up to the setback, try to identify the main contributing factor. Then, formulate a plan for moving on. “Focus on how you’re going to take the lesson learned and grow from it,” says Dawn Rasmussen, chief resume designer and owner of Pathfinder Writing and Career Services in Portland, OR. This is more productive than dwelling on the setback — the “could’ves” and “should’ves” — or being too hard on yourself. Though Rasmussen focuses on helping others chart their next course, as a former event planner, she’s had plenty of “teachable moments” in her own career. One is particularly memorable. She says, “When I was a young pup, I planned a tourism trade show for our local convention and visitors’ bureau. I planned it out, filled all the booths, and it was all set to go. I did some marketing, but not enough. Turnout was low. The vendors weren’t very happy. It turned out the event fell on the same day as the finale of the show “Cheers.” More people stayed home to watch that rather than come to a trade show.”

She learned it’s important to stay current with trends and be aware of any potential scheduling conflicts — even unlikely ones like a landmark moment in pop culture. “Be cognizant of any competing events that could affect the turnout of your event. It was embarrassing. I wasn’t aware of the conflict. My boss wasn’t happy and wasn’t aware of the night’s significance either,” she says.

Rather than place blame, Rasmussen advises people to own their mistake. “If you turn around and face things, the more you can own things or use them to help others, the more you become a role model and inspire others,” she says. “We’re in a society where we’re expected to be perfect. Some of our best life lessons come from our mistakes. You’re not running away; you’re owning up to your part in it.”

Job-Related Setbacks

Feedback can be difficult to hear, but it’s a critical component of recovering from a setback. Kim Noel, marketing and special events manager for Avenues of PA (formerly United Cerebral Palsy), says she uses the feedback she receives from the planning committees she works with to make the three annual events she oversees better each year. “When a setback does happen, I take feedback from the team and I try not to take any criticism personally,” she says, adding, “With our three annual events, they’re pretty much the same every year. If you’re trying something new, that first year will be a growth year. Maybe something that sounded good in the planning didn’t work out the way you envisioned. I try to go back and focus on learning from it.”

Setting goals is another way to handle setbacks.  Colleen Reardon is the member services manager for the American Wine Society, America’s largest community of wine explorers —consumers, beginning and experienced winemakers, journalists, chefs, restauranteurs and foodies. As such, Reardon is the primary organizer of the association’s annual conference. She says it’s great to constantly set new goals. “Nobody wants to be stagnant,” she says. “The challenges are what make life exciting.”

She is in the thick of planning what she says is currently the biggest event she has ever done. “I have to make sure everything is in order for that to be obtained. So long as I have support and a defined mission, [reaching the goal] is very important. The problem is when goals are unrealistic,” she says.

Reardon relies on her trusted circle — friends, her boss and colleagues — to help her weather setbacks. “I try not to dwell on a setback for longer than a day. Most things can be fixed, especially in my world. My association has a lot of good people in it, so that helps,” she says. “A little wine helps, too,” she adds with a laugh.

Remember the SMART mnemonic device to stay on track for reaching goals — Strategic, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-based. “Goal setting is what gets you back on the path. It’s a mental commitment to make something happen. Be clear on what you want and how you can reach them will move you forward to reach those steps,” Rasmussen says.

Reinventing Yourself

A setback changed the trajectory of Beth Lawrence’s career. Now the owner and Chief Inspiration Officer of Beth Lawrence Meetings and Events in Philadelphia, PA, and a CMP, she used a job loss as motivation to launch her own business. “I was laid off from what had been my dream job,” she says. “It had never happened to me before. I was stunned. I was shocked. My layoff was effective the next day. I took three or four days to just cry, then, upon telling people I was laid off, I was telling people what I was going to do next. Then, I signed my first two clients. I took about two weeks just to meet with people, every day from 9 to 5. Just meeting with them got me the connections I needed to start my business.”

Lawrence was no stranger to blazing her own trail. She graduated from college in 2009 with an event planning degree at the height of the Great Recession and subsequent housing crisis. She wasn’t finding many “event planner” jobs at the time; rather, positions with event planning duties typically fell under a marketing or administrative umbrella. Instead, Lawrence worked at a series of part-time jobs but never lost sight of her goal. “Essentially, I had to piecemeal out my career path. I couldn’t take a year off to volunteer and gain experience. I sent out at least 40 resumes a day for six months, but it helped me build my network,” she says.

She viewed each job as an opportunity to build different skill sets. She worked for a Philadelphia-based radio station in the promotions department and learned about marketing and promotions. Her job at a coffee house taught her about customer service and how to run a business.

Eventually, she landed a full-time, contracted role that lasted six months. “I knew what I wanted to do, and it wasn’t that. I worked my 40-hour week and went to networking events at least three nights a week. Through my network, I was intentionally building my brand. I wanted people to know who Beth Lawrence was.” Her best advice for professionals in transition? “Build and sustain your network, and then lean on them to propel you forward,” she says.

Set Yourself Up for Success

Candice Batts became an event planner almost by accident after a combination of personal and professional setbacks. She previously worked in wealth management and held different events to draw in clients. “I was doing the event piece and thought, ‘I like doing things like this’, but I didn’t know event management was actually a career,” she says. “I had a friend who ran a marketing and advertising agency, and he asked me to plan his events.”

Batts paused her career to become a full-time caregiver for her father, who had Parkinson’s disease, after her mother passed away. She started taking small event jobs to gain experience in the field. As her father stabilized, she started working at medical meetings and events that were closer to home. A brief stint with an event production company exposed her to the AV side of events.

After her last layoff, she relocated to Charlotte, NC, and launched her business, SC Events, LLC.  “I’m in a new city, connecting with MPI, meeting with a lot of planners, and getting into the right circles,” she says. “I’m trying to figure out which way I’m going to go. It helps to stay connected with local chapters of organizations like MPI.”

For now, Batts is concentrating on her event business and studying for her CMP. She also is working as an independent sales representative for the Deonado Company, Home of the Nook Pods. She remains open to what the future might hold. “This is a time in my life where I can completely focus on my career and where I want to go. When I was a caregiver, I would just take jobs as they came along because I had to pay the bills. Now it’s a different strategy where I’m being more intentional about the roles I’m applying for and what I want to accept,” she says.

Cultivating a Vision

Lawrence says reflecting on previous roles or key setbacks is critical to move forward, but reflection has two sides. “At some point, you have to have tunnel vision for your goal, and you have to focus on your strengths. Six and a half years into my business, I realized there were things in my previous role where I could have gone the extra mile in some areas,” she said. “You look back and see where you could’ve done things differently or weren’t your best self. They might manifest themselves next time. I think lessons catch up to you whether you’re a person who reflects on them or not.”

It’s also okay to still have fun. “Give yourself time to do something you really love, such as a hobby. Or it can just be something fun. That’s really important,” Glaser says.

Rasmussen relies on self-care to “refill the tank,” as she says. For her, hiking does the trick. “Sometimes, when I’m at the end of a really long hike, I’m tired and maybe not paying attention, so mistakes can happen.” Much like life, when we’re tired, we’re not operating at our best, so things can happen. When feeling overwhelmed or burned out, it’s time to step back and recharge for our own sake, as well as our livelihood.

Above all, trust your instincts to intuit a possible setback and be proactive, Rasmussen says. “Pay attention to signals. As a resume writer, I meet with a lot of people who say, ‘I think something’s up with my company. I have a weird feeling,’ so they get their resume updated. They’re usually dead on. Trust your gut. It could be an indicator of something coming.” Further, keep your credentials updated and continue to follow industry news. “Know your value, so if something does happen, you’re doing your networking, you have your resume updated and you have a pulse on what’s going on,” she says.

Saving face after a career setback takes time, perseverance and leaning on others. Even the worst setback is only temporary, and you’ll likely emerge better because of facing something difficult. Don’t expect positive change without taking action, however.

“Setbacks mold you into the person you’re meant to be,” Coslett-Traver says. “While something can seem really negative as soon as it happens, have faith that it will work out for the good. But you can’t just sit and be complacent — you have to put in the hard work, too.” C&IT