Five Strategies For More Spectacular Failures

Everybody fails. The question isn’t if or when, but how. How spectacular are your failures?  Here are five strategies to increase the chance of your failures becoming something spectacular.

Don’t make it personal

Failures are about everything EXCEPT a person’s worth. It may feel embarrassing, painful, discouraging, or even justified, and it’s not about who you are as a person. If you or others make it personal, they are derailing the possibility of learning.

Focus on the THING that didn’t work

Failures are wonderful learning opportunities when we are able to examine what THING didn’t work. Strategy, planning, execution, whatever…find the THING that didn’t work so you can change it next time.

Take 100% responsibility for what you do next

Blaming gets you nowhere. Putting yourself down gets you nowhere. Take full ownership over your next step and make it constructive.

Sincere apologies go a long way

This is not about throwing yourself under the bus or taking all the blame.  It’s about personal responsibility and integrity. Just because you or your team failed doesn’t mean you aren’t still a team. Apologize for your part and begin moving forward. Here’s a template for making great apologies.

Remember it’s not the first time or the last time

Put failure in perspective. If you think this could never happen again, think again. If you think you’re doomed from now on, think again. Life is full of failures. It’s what we do about them, and with them, that can make them spectacular.

Go forth and fail spectacularly!

Copyright Next Element Consulting, 2018

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