Dealing With Setbacks

Topics Covered:

• The emotional reality of dealing with setbacks — both personal and professional
• Why it’s okay (and necessary) to grieve product failures
• How leaders can create space for teams to recover before jumping into post-mortems
• The danger of tying performance too tightly to outcomes
• How continuous discovery builds resilience by normalizing failure
• Using the 10–10–10 framework (from Decisive by Chip & Dan Heath) to gain perspective on setbacks

Key Takeaways:

• Setbacks are not just inevitable — they’re part of doing meaningful product work.
• Giving teams time and space to process failure builds long-term resilience.
• Mourning losses is just as important as celebrating wins.
• Healthy discovery cultures embrace reflection, psychological safety, and emotional honesty.
• Staying consistent with discovery habits helps teams recover faster and learn more deeply.

Notable Moments:

• [00:02:00] Teresa shares the story of her injury and what it’s taught her about patience and setbacks.
• [00:10:00] Petra talks about a team whose carefully planned launch didn’t move a single KPI.
• [00:20:00] Discussion on allowing space for grief and frustration after failure.
• [00:30:00] Why organizations must decouple performance reviews from short-term outcomes.
• [00:40:00] How continuous discovery can help teams normalize — and even learn to appreciate — setbacks.

Resources & Links:

• Follow Teresa Torres: https://ProductTalk.org
• Follow Petra Wille: https://Petra-Wille.com

Mentioned in the episode:

• Decisive by Chip & Dan Heath — The 10–10–10 framework for perspective in decision-making
• Teresa Torres’ Continuous Discovery Habits — Building resilience through ongoing discovery practices.