EMBRACE FAILURE, ACHIEVE GREATNESS IN LEADERSHIP

"Forget the failures. Keep the lessons." - Dalai Lama
 
Take a moment to recall how you felt when you realized that you’d failed. That something you attempted to do didn’t work and had significant consequences, on others and yourself. At that moment, you find yourself standing at the intersection of risk and reward, where your success as a leader teeters on your ability as a leader to recover and move forward.  That’s not an easy move to make for any of us. Our tendency might be to take the safer road to avoid the pain of ridicule, the humiliation of scrutiny, or the perception of our incompetence.   
 
And yet we know, at least intellectually, that without some failure in life, we won’t grow, and world-changing creations like electricity, medical advances and flight would never have happened, right? Insulating yourself from failure stifles your growth as a leader and cripples your ability to navigate and course correct when (not if) the environment creates turbulence for your organization.
 
Taking risks and being willing to fail begins with our mindset.  While some people seem to be wired this way, the willingness to take risks is a skill you can develop, whether you are an entrepreneur, executive or rising star. Here are a few suggestions:

• Start with your strengths. Know your strengths and have proof points that illustrate those strengths based on the outcomes you’ve achieved. Taking a risk is easier when we come from a place of strength, knowledge and expertise. Where you have demonstrated good judgment and success is a great place to stretch because you are building on what you already know is true.
• Create a new norm around giving and receiving feedback. Debrief everything you do and be fearlessly open to giving and receiving feedback. Seeking root causes for failure will help you be more successful the next time because you learn what works and what doesn’t. As you debrief, assess roles, responsibilities, structure, strategy and other areas where the project or idea went sideways. Feedback stings less over time when it becomes an opportunity for discovery and positive reinforcement rather than a source of pain and public embarrassment.
• Be a role model.  The “shadow of the leader” concept says that in organizations, people watch what others do and emulate that behavior over time. If you have children, you know that this is true. As a leader in your organization, decide what behavior you want to model, and observe how it translates in your team. If you model fear and suspicion, your team also will exhibit that behavior. If you truly support your team in taking risks and create a process to assess and honor risks and outcomes, your team will be much more willing to embrace the fear and move through it successfully.
• Commit to lifelong learning. Learning must become a deliberate practice and will require discipline. Just attending a random workshop or training session won’t cut it. Being in conversation with others, testing ideas and thinking critically about what’s important to you and your organization is a practice, not a drive-by behavior. I’ve had the benefit of working with and for several leaders who make a daily habit of journaling and setting aside time to think about their leadership and their industry. They also spend time in conversation with others as a way to build connections and foster learning about differing points of view. 

 
Embracing failure requires courage and intention, but mastery of it develops resilience. As leaders, we run the risk of missing opportunities for greatness and innovation by dumbing down our work to what’s safe and comfortable. Be determined to fail forward.
 
Have a story about a failure that paved the road to your success? I’d love to read it. Send me a note.
 
 
 
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