Just because you train for a race doesn’t guarantee you’ll win.

You can memorize the route, buy the best gear, and push yourself to peak performance, and still end up finishing behind other racers. Perhaps you missed an important detail about the route, or maybe the gear you invested in wasn’t as good as you thought. Maybe you pushed yourself too hard during practice and your final performance suffered, or maybe none of that happened and you still lost, all because the other racers simply performed better than you did.

Entrepreneurs face similar circumstances. They can develop a thorough business plan, invest in targeted marketing, and gather together a talented team, yet still fail to achieve their goals or reach important milestones. Maybe they overlooked a critical aspect in their marketing plan, or perhaps their marketing didn’t appeal to the intended demographic. Maybe the team’s abilities couldn’t measure up to management’s expectations, or maybe everything actually went smoothly and yet they still missed their goals, all because their competitors had a stronger hold on the market.

The point I’m trying to make is that, as important as preparation is, I’m afraid it’s no guarantee for success. Sometimes you can do everything you were supposed to and still fail because of circumstances outside your control, like the coronavirus pandemic we’re all struggling to get through. However, while the racer can accept their placement and move on now that the race is over, entrepreneurs must be able to keep moving forward. You can’t just give up on your business venture because you had a bad quarter, your team is counting on you to lead them through this.

Indeed, your leadership skills will be put to the test during these sorts of trying times, as the team will be needing some serious motivation after their best efforts came up short.



You can start by show consideration to the team. You should honestly be doing this to begin with, but during challenging periods, it’s even more important to reassure them of their value to you and to the company. Yes, it’s unfortunate that you didn’t reach your goals, but you wouldn’t have gotten anywhere without them. You depend on them, and they need to be reminded of how important they are to you. Make it clear to them what impact their position has on the company, as well as the contributions they make to the consumers. When they see how their role enables a higher purpose, they’ll be more likely to take pride in their work, and be more capable of standing firm in the face of adversity.

Of course, even employees working towards the noblest of callings can still become burned out or disillusioned, which is why leaders must regularly refuel their workers with appreciation. Mind you, there’s a major difference between providing genuine appreciation and throwing around generic praise. Empty compliments make leaders come off as disinterested and impersonal, and will lower employee motivation. On the other hand, genuine appreciation casts leaders in a compassionate and personal light, which is very inspiring to employees and goes a long way toward lifting their spirits.

Remember, if employees feel unmotivated, unengaged, or even neglected, their performance will suffer and they will look for employment elsewhere. To combat this, try giving them opportunities to develop their skills, offer constructive feedback, as well as guidance on achieving their goals. These personalized tactics will demonstrate that you are invested in their performance and want to see them succeed, which in turn will make them want to succeed to show you the results of your input.

A crew can’t sail their ship without the leadership of a captain, but a captain can’t sail their ship without the hard work of the crew. Hey must all work together if they want to weather the rough seas, otherwise none of them will make it back to port.