It’s easy to fall into the trap of seeing challenges at work as opportunities to mess up. I hear this a lot from mentees, especially when they’re dealing with high-pressure situations like production issues.

Just the other day, I was chatting with a mentee who told me how stressful she finds production incidents. She said, “I never know what the next step is, and it feels like everyone’s watching me stumble around.”

I could feel her frustration—because I’ve been there too. Production issues can feel like a spotlight shining on everything you don’t know.

But here’s the thing: what if we flipped that script? What if, instead of seeing these moments as opportunities to fail, we started viewing them as opportunities to learn?

A Simple Practice to Reframe Your Mindset

I shared a small but powerful habit with her: after every production issue, write down one thing you’ve learned.

It doesn’t have to be monumental. Maybe you learned how to interpret a tricky error message. Or that a certain log file holds the key to debugging a service. Or even that communicating clearly during a stressful moment can make all the difference.

When you do this consistently, something incredible happens. You start to reframe those stressful moments. Instead of beating yourself up for not knowing all the answers, you begin to appreciate how each challenge teaches you something new.

Why This Works

This practice isn’t just about learning technical skills—it’s about rewiring your perspective. By focusing on what you’re gaining rather than what you feel you’re lacking, you build confidence and resilience over time.

Production issues stop being scary tests of your competence and start becoming valuable learning experiences.

Try It for Yourself

The next time you face a challenge at work—whether it’s a production issue or something else—pause afterward and ask yourself:

• What did I learn from this?
• How can I apply this knowledge next time?

Write it down, even if it feels small. Over time, you’ll have a record of all the ways you’ve grown.

Let’s Normalize Learning from Challenges

Work will always throw curveballs. But how we choose to see them is up to us.

So, what’s one thing you’ve learned from a recent challenge? I’d love to hear about it. Let’s normalize seeing the hard stuff not as an opportunity to fail—but as an opportunity to grow.

If this was helpful and you’d like to chat with me more, schedule a consultation call! Whether or not you decide you’re interested in investing in career coaching I’ll make sure you leave with action steps to build a career you love.