Resilience is a tough one. No really, it is all about being tough. A short Google definition will tell you that it is the ability to bounce back after failure or disappointment or basically when something did not work out according to plan.

Why is it important in the workplace? There are many reasons but let’s focus on two for now. Because no job is perfect. There will always be parts of your job that you will not enjoy, maybe even despise. That goes for any job level, even your top management. As much as you might hate having to schedule an important meeting because of all the up-and-down emails to find a suitable time, your manager might hate having to go to that meeting because it takes him or her away from their home and family. To mope about this for the whole week is not going to get anyone anywhere. Instead, see this as an opportunity to learn about scheduling or even do your research to find a better and more efficient solution; or perhaps use it as an opportunity to build a relationship with the person on the receiving end, you might need each other sometime in the future.

Secondly, because failure is part of learning and we are all learning continuously, it means that failure is inevitable. By all means, sulk away at home in front of Netflix with a jar of chocolate spread in your hand because you didn’t get the promotion, but get up tomorrow morning and go to work to figure out what you can do to improve yourself and tomorrow night switch off Netflix and go onto YouTube to see what makes great employees stand out and how to make managers take notice of you. And congratulate your colleague. Ask them for any tips they can share. Whatever you do, you can hit rock bottom and feel miserable and want to pack your bags and leave, but pull yourself together, get up and face the world again. Bounce back and try again. And again. You will get there. Instead of viewing setbacks as a failure, why not view them as opportunities to learn and acquire new skills?

Inspired by an article published in Forbes and written by Natalie Peart: The 12 Most Important Skills You Need To Succeed At Work.