Last week didn’t go the way I planned.

We lost a key team member.
Sales took a dip.
And for a moment, it felt like the wind got knocked out of us.

If you’ve led a business long enough, you’ve been here. The setback. The curveball. The moment where you wonder, “How do I keep going—let alone stay positive?”

It’s not easy. But it’s necessary.
Because as a leader, how I show up shapes how the team shows up. And even when things go south, I have a responsibility to steer us forward with clarity, energy, and perspective.

The Gap vs. The Gain: Choose Your Frame of Mind
One of the most powerful ideas I learned in Strategic Coach is the concept of The Gap and The Gain.

The Gap is a negative space—it’s where you focus on how far you are from where you want to be. It’s full of frustration, comparison, and the feeling of “not enough.”

The Gain, on the other hand, is about reframing. When something goes wrong—like losing a key team member or hitting a sales slump—you ask yourself:

“What can I learn from this?”

If you can take a tough moment and pull out a lesson, a new strategy, or even just a renewed sense of direction—it becomes a gain.

It’s all about mindset.
Do you want to live in a negative space or a positive one?
Do you want to stay stuck in what didn’t happen—or move forward with what you’ve gained?

Stay out of the Gap. That’s the goal.

Here is a podcast series from Dan Sullivan and Ben Hardy, if you’d like to learn more: https://www.strategiccoach.com/resources/podcasts/the-gap-and-the-gain

Starting with Positivity—Always
At Eclipse Creative, we begin every meeting with a Positive Focus.
It’s not fluff. It’s a culture choice.

Why? Because even when things feel off-track, there’s always something good happening—in work, in life, in the small stuff. And if we don’t intentionally call that out, we forget it’s there.

Positive Focus helps us:

• Set a good tone for conversation
• Train our minds to look for progress
• Remind ourselves that setbacks don’t define the whole story

This week, it made all the difference.

---

So, How Did I Stay Positive?
Here’s what I leaned into when things felt uncertain:

💪 I fed off the team
Losing a key person hurt—but what came next? Other team members raised their hands. People stepped up. Energy started to shift. I saw teammates leaning in, taking ownership, and offering solutions. That fired me up.

👋 We hired forward
I didn’t just react—I acted. We found someone new who will bring energy and elevation to the team. A reminder that every ending makes space for a new beginning.

🔄 We reworked our sales process
Instead of dwelling on the slowdown, we turned the lens inward. We reviewed the gaps. Set new, aggressive sales goals. And we built a plan to support—and hold the team accountable. Honestly? That part was exciting. Nothing motivates me more than a clear path forward.

Positivity Isn’t Passive—It’s Leadership
Staying positive doesn’t mean pretending things are fine. It means choosing progress even when it’s uncomfortable.

It means reminding yourself—and your team—of what’s possible.

Will things turn around overnight? Probably not.
But I believe how I go is how the company goes.
And I can feel it: we’re on the edge of something exciting.

---

What About You?
If you’ve had to lead through a rough patch, I’d love to know:
👉 What helps you stay positive when things don’t go to plan?
👉 How do you re-energize your team when momentum dips?