So… many of you know that I’m a CEO Coach. I love working with visionary leaders who push boundaries and transform organizations. BUT… when you’re taking risks, setbacks are inevitable. (Ever been there?)

YOU COULD BE ONE FAILURE AWAY FROM VICTORY.

I recently watched a video from DESHAUNA BARBER, where she shared how she faced failure after failure. With the encouragement of her coach, she kept going—even when success felt impossible. Her perseverance paid off in the end. Take ABRAHAM LINCOLN, for example. Before becoming president, he lost EIGHT ELECTIONS! Imagine the persistence it took to keep going after all those defeats. WINSTON CHURCHILL said it best: “NEVER, NEVER, NEVER GIVE UP.”

These leaders remind us that success often follows setbacks.

EMBRACING SETBACKS AND DIGGING DEEP.

In organizations that PUSH BOUNDARIES, setbacks are inevitable. The way we respond to them sets VISIONARY LEADERS apart. One key strategy I work on with my clients is to EMBRACE SETBACKS as OPPORTUNITIES. We don’t penalize those who bring the tough news. Instead, we LISTEN DEEPLY to understand what went wrong, gather UNFILTERED FEEDBACK, and come back stronger. It’s not about playing it safe—it’s about PUSHING the BOUNDARIES even harder with the knowledge we’ve gained.

This MINDSET SHIFT is crucial because, as leaders, if we don’t embrace setbacks in this way, we’ll stop pushing boundaries, and our teams will stop taking the risks that lead to TRANSFORMATION.

CLEAR STRATEGY + DAILY REVIEW = FOCUS.

A clear strategy is just the start—CONSISTENTLY REVIEWING and aligning your actions with your goals is where the real transformation happens. With my clients, we don’t just set goals and hope for the best. Every day, we take FOCUSED, INTENTIONAL STEPS that move us closer to those BIG-PICTURE OBJECTIVES. This daily discipline sharpens our focus, REDUCES SETBACKS, and keeps us on track to achieve EXTRAORDINARY RESULTS.

NEXT STEPS.

If you’ve felt tempted to quit, you’re not alone. But remember, your next step could be the one that turns everything around. Who’s with me?

Here’s Deshauna’s powerful message if you need a little inspiration (and it’s less than 4 minutes!)