How the Best Leaders Handle Disappointment

Losing a deal, a job being terminated, losing an election, a failed business or project. This list stirs up some serious emotions, specifically disappointment. We’ve all experienced it in various shapes and sizes. While disappointment is hard enough when times are good, our current pandemic environment has many of our emotions close to the surface, exacerbating these feelings. So, how do we handle disappointment the right way? 

Let’s start on even ground by defining disappointment. Disappointment is the gap between our expectations and reality. That gap is then filled by emotions like sadness, frustration, anger, or even spite. While the disappointment gap is not the place you want to stay, you get to choose whether it crushes your dream or drives it. The best leaders use disappointment to drive their dream instead of crushing it: