“Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm” — Winston Churchill
How would you define the word “failure”? For some people, failure is a mistake of any kind. For others, failure is missing a goal they made for themselves. For others, failure is a constant state of being, a way of thinking about themselves and the world.
For leaders, failure is different. When you’re a leader, failure is your friend. In leadership, it’s not a question of if you fail, it’s a question of when, and how you respond. As leaders, we need to be comfortable with failing and failing often. No successful person becomes a success without failure. It’s actually impossible. There’s no such thing as a life without setbacks, screw-ups, and flat-out face plants. If everything worthwhile is uphill (and I can promise you that it is), it’s inevitable that somewhere along the way your foot is going to slip, no matter how careful you are with your steps. In the world of leadership, success is often celebrated while failure is seen as a setback. However, what if I told you that failure could be a stepping stone to great leadership? Embracing failure in your leadership journey might seem counterintuitive, but it’s a mindset shift that can lead to profound personal and professional growth.
The greatest leadership is built on vulnerability and transparency. When you openly acknowledge your failures and share the lessons you’ve learned, you create a deeper connection with your team. Authentic leaders are relatable and inspire trust because they’ve experienced both success and failure. By showing that failure is a natural part of growth, you create a safe space for your team members to take risks, learn, and contribute their best work.
So how do you get comfortable with failing? I thought you would never ask! Here are a few quick takeaways you can start doing right away!
1. Regularly set aside time for assessment. I have been intentional to do this often with my leadership team. We meet every single week and we open our meeting time with what I call “roll the tapes” from the week prior. We reflect on what is going well, and where we need improvement. I call this the “Good / Bad / Ugly” reflection!
2. Reflect daily on your decisions, actions, and outcomes. Ask yourself questions such as: What went well? What could have been done differently? What lessons can be extracted from this experience? Reflective leadership allows you to gain insights into your decision-making process, identify patterns of success and failure, and refine your leadership approach over time. I like to keep a note journal or engage in conversations with mentors or close peers of mine!
3. Cultivate a Growth Mindset. Embrace the concept of a growth mindset. You hear me talk on this a lot. Personal growth is something that I think is one of if not THE most important thing a leader should make a habit. A growth mindset is the belief that abilities and intelligence can be developed through dedication and hard work. When you adopt a growth mindset, you see failure as an opportunity to learn and improve rather than as a reflection of your innate abilities. This perspective helps you approach challenges with resilience and openness, making it easier to analyze what went wrong, identify lessons, and adjust your approach!
Failing is like any other relationship you have.. You develop the relationship over time and with intentionality. Failure is part of the leader’s process and being intentional with that process helps ensure a good return. I started my leadership journey on the opposite end of this spectrum. I feared failure. Not to make it an excuse, but I think it was how I was raised. My dad was hard on me. If I screwed up, the belt coming off him for a few whacks was nothing new. Fast forward into the working world, words of affirmation are my love language, so I never wanted my old bosses to ever have to reprimand me for making a mistake. I was definitely a “teachers pet” kind of employee! As I embarked into my leadership journey, I let my fear of screwing up be a factor that kept me from delegating authority in my leadership style. Early on, I was a horrible leader because of being pulled in 100 different directions before I realized that I needed help and began to delegate authority and put my focus into building up future leaders. I have learned over the years that making mistakes is just part of all of our growth! Not just for myself, but for those I get to lead alongside of.
I’ve come to learn that most people are afraid to fail. They play it safe. They hang out in their comfort zone. These leadership “afraid to fail” safe zones are like cozy bubbles where routines and familiar patterns prevail. While they offer security, they also limit potential growth. Staying within your comfort zone prevents you from honing new skills, adapting to change, and embracing innovation. If there is one thing I know about leading this generation, it is that we have to embrace change. And an intricate part of that is knowing that we are going to have failures along the way! Is that you? Are you afraid of failing?
Remember this… If you’re leading, you need to make failure part of the process because if you make it your enemy, you won’t get very far. If you’ve failed recently, what did you learn from the experience? How can you apply that failure into future growth? If you’ve not failed recently, take some time to prepare your response for when it shows up, because it’s coming! Especially if you want to grow.
I have been leading in some sort of capacity for nearly 20 years now. So failure has not only become something I am comfortable with, it’s become a good friend of mine. We’re well acquainted and will definitely plan to spend a lot of time together in the future. I’m no longer afraid of failure, but I don’t let the thoughts of failure keep me from doing my best. I’ve developed the right attitude towards it and that helps me fail correctly, and learn from it.
If you are aspiring to grow yourself and cultivate a culture of building more and more leaders, failure is inevitable. So preparing your response is essential. I love the growth cycle of success because it tells you that the response to failure is to learn. So what will you do to learn from your failures? Make preparations to implement the lessons from your experience. Set aside time to reflect, bring something to help you collect your thoughts, and bring some people alongside you to help you with your thinking. The only thing worse than going through failure alone is reflecting on that failure alone; it sets you up for a trip into dark places that will NOT serve you well. Bring people around you, give them your positive goal, and let others help you discover new heights.
Remember, no matter what happens, or when you make mistakes, or when your people make mistakes, keep on leading. Don’t check out and think that you can just pick back up where the pieces fall. We need you leading because this world needs leaders who know how to take failure and turn it into something positive. Fail, learn. Fail, learn. Rinse. Wash. Repeat.