Significant Career Lesson From an Agency Counsel at Department of Defense
Andrew's most significant career lesson is to avoid letting negative experiences, such as a difficult boss, overshadow long-term career goals; the Agency Counsel advises to "roll with it," maintaining perspective and focusing on improvement, embodying a "three-minute rule" for handling setbacks and moving forward as a better performer and leader.
Resilience, Overcoming Challenges, Stress Management, Leadership, Workplace Challenges
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Andrew Henderson
Agency Counsel
Department of Defense
Bates College
Pepperdine University School of Law (JD); University of Redlands School of Business (MA); Army JAG School (LLM)
Political Science, American Studies
Government & Public Sector, Law
Legal
Took Out Loans, Veteran
Video Highlights
1. Maintain a long-term perspective on setbacks: Don't let individual negative experiences, such as conflicts with supervisors or colleagues, define your career trajectory. Focus on the bigger picture and learn from each situation.
2. Develop resilience and a short-term memory for setbacks: Acknowledge negative emotions, but don't dwell on them. Move on and focus on improvement and future opportunities.
3. The importance of continuous learning and improvement: Use every experience, positive or negative, as an opportunity to learn and grow. Strive to be a better performer and leader over time.
Transcript
What is one lesson that you have learned that has proven significant in your career?
There's a number of things to consider, but the one I'd focus on is to never let one bad experience or one bad boss cloud your view of the future. You need to roll with it and understand that things tend to even out down the line.
I've certainly been in situations where a supervisor was upset about something. Maybe they were right, maybe they were wrong, but it doesn't change the fact that you're going to encounter individuals who will lose their cool.
This could be because you screwed up and deserved correction, or perhaps you didn't and still received it. It's not the end of the world. You need to look at the bigger picture before deciding it's a terrible job or organization.
Let it go and roll with it. Now, if it's a continuing pattern of abuse, that's a different story. I haven't encountered that professionally, but isolated events are going to happen.
Anytime you're in a career setting, you're going to run into these situations. So, let it roll. In that moment, you're allowed to be upset.
My son plays baseball, and we have a three-minute rule. If you screw up and you're upset, be upset for three minutes. Then, as Ted Lasso talks about, be a goldfish with short-term memory and be prepared to move on.
Do better next time, and be better prepared. In the bigger picture, you'll be a better performer and ultimately a better leader when you get those opportunities.
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