No one wants to fail. We always want to be known as professionals/leaders who are right 100 percent of the time and capable of bringing out the best of themselves and those around them. However, this expectation is not realistic. As Alfred Pennyworth said in Batman Begins, you will stumble and fall, but it's all about getting yourself up again. Leaders who can pick themselves up from failure and absorb and apply the lessons learned are often the most effective.
A great deal of literature exists about the value of failure and the lessons that can be learned from it. An article from Forbes talks about three specific aspects that can be gleaned from failure. The article spoke about Leading with Positivity, Leading with Ownership, and Leading with Learning. All these values allow you to build your professional toolbox from which you can draw and develop an air of authenticity that your employees can trust.
The Harvard Business Review also recently outlined that one of the biggest challenges is that businesses always seem to think that failure is wrong, that no good can come from it, and that there must always be repercussions. However, the only outcome of failure is punitive actions against those involved. In that case, there is no opportunity for learning, and you are setting yourself up for continued failure, which is not a desired outcome. While the emotions that emerge from failure are strong, good leaders and organizations take a moment to step back and remove emotion from the situation. Instead, the following steps should be focused on learning rather than retribution. In addition, naturally, adverse reactions to failure may deter risk-taking. This behavior may hinder innovation, finding newer and better ways of doing things, and making yourself a leaner, more effective organization. Building a thought process that leans into the learning lessons from failure may deter future missteps and open up new best practices that can be onboarded.
Take a moment to have an honest conversation about how you handle failure in all aspects. By performing this self-evaluation, you can open your mind to new possibilities and understand where your strengths and weaknesses lie. Feel free to apply your failure to this process. You will have the chance to learn more about yourself and the organization you lead.
