Here's how you can develop resilience to bounce back from failure as a customer service manager.

Failure they say is the evidence that you made an effort. With the failure comes experience of how not to do it next time. Though failure can be draining and sometimes costly, the lessons learnt can make you more knowledgeable because it gives you the opportunity to access the situation better and to develop your skills and do things differently.

Building resilience is like training for a marathon—it's not about the sprint, it’s about staying in the game no matter what. Staying positive even when things go sideways is crucial. We’ve had our share of hiccups, but keeping a positive outlook helps us push through.

As cliche as it may sound, customer service is a life skill, and one that I am grateful to have had the opportunity to learn. There has been one primary credo that has allowed me to cherish the gift of adversity, instead of avoiding these experiences. Although there are many pieces of advice to choose from, for the sake of brevity, I will share this: Things don't get easier, we just get better. As we grow in our career, we continue to face escalating difficult challenges, and with that more efficient tools to combat them. As we were to build a fence with our hands, we grow to build a home with a toolbox. This motivation inspires me to learn from the broken fences I've left along the way; only to look at the house that stands before me.

In short, it is essential to take a break. The reset helps you to refocus and accomplish the goal from a different angle if applicable.

One thing I have found helpful is having the mindset that each time I fail, I am not a failure instead I have learned what not to do the next time I try. That keeps me going. You crash when you put yourself in that position of feeling like a failure every time things don't work out.

The surmounting stress that inevitably catches us all by the coattails is a common topic of discussion that still needs more emphasis. It is imperative to learn how to decline a request politely and within reason. A surefire way to practice this is always to offer a solution despite our limitations. Say it has been a terrible week, and now you're anxiously staring at a supervisor's message about staying an extra hour. It is okay to decline. Politely decline, offer take-up on another day, or even share responsibility for the task in question. Then, offer a date that would work with your supervisor. This not only protects you from burnout but also shows your team that you are still showing initiative.

Although I advocate for positivity, knowing where to draw the line between positivity and toxicity is essential. Like failure, it is okay to acknowledge the negatives. What isn't okay is focusing on them. The way I see it, there will always be two constant truths: there will always be good things and bad things. If you want to look for evidence to support what weighs on you, you will find it. In the same breath, if you look for evidence to support what can inspire you, you will find it just as quickly. It is a matter of bias of perspective, not the complete absence of either or. It is not lying to yourself; it is a shifting of bias. The way I look at it, if I were to be biased anyhow, why not smile while being so?