How to Fail Like a Pro
It’s easier to fail casually than to give your best and fall short. Only the humble learn from responsible failure.
Mistakes are catastrophes when caused by dishonesty, neglect, or lack of effort. But all failure is useful when faced quickly.
The sooner you address what isn’t working, the sooner trajectory changes.
Fail like a pro:
You fail successfully when you defeat ego. “I screwed up” is humility, as long as it isn’t followed with, “but…”
Good failure elevates admiration. Leaders who fail openly gain respect. Excuse-makers gain disdain.
Useful failure increases flexibility. What will you do differently next time? Be specific. Focus on behaviors.
Mistakes help when you open up. The greatest opportunity of failure is reflection. Vulnerability requires courage.
3 powers of responsible failure:
#1. Inspiration.
You’re uninspiring if your life has been easy. Inspire others by flaunting the failures you have overcome.
#2. Insight.
Success shows you things to repeat. Failure reveals something to change. It’s freeing to see what didn’t work. Fools don’t change.
#3. Development.
Blunders point to skill gaps. What do you need to learn? Sincere screw-ups reveal wrong beliefs. What new ways of thinking about yourself come to mind?
3 ways to fail successfully:
#1. Ask what.
Asking what didn’t work is better than asking who screwed up.
“What” is about learning. “Who” is about blaming.
Tip: Ask when. You reveal poor decision-making when you identify when failure began.
#2. Be specific.
Dig into failure – reject generalities. Look for specific practices that cause failure.
#3. Explore what didn’t happen.
What was left undone reveals more than what went wrong.
Those who hide failure fail again. Those who never fail reach too low.
What does “fail like a pro” mean to you?
What are some of the worst things to do in the face of failure?
https://www.gcu.edu/blog/business-management/why-failure-important-leadership
To me, “fail like a pro” means treating the failure as an opportunity to practice tools in my toolbox. When guilt, shame, and blame are driving, and I get worried about it, I am farther away from seeing good improvements and acting on them. I find I can get stuck on the impact or emotional weight of the failure, instead of getting better. Those emotions make it harder to look at the important and humble work of owning the failure and making improvements.
Wonderful reflection, Brandon. I find your thoughts encouraging. The emotional weight of negative self-talk, embarrassment, and the emotions you mentioned prevent growth. It’s hard to turn toward the future when past failure is strangling us.
Perhaps asking, What am I learning or what will I do next time will help shift our focus. We should acknowledge that painful emotions tend to loiter.
Question I have been struggling with for some time……..
How do you deal with, or learn from failure due to others’ (generally a superior’s) unethical or outright corrupt behavior?
I’ve failed MANY times of my own accord, but I have also failed because I wouldn’t lie, “play the game” or otherwise perform in an unethical manner. I’ve struggled with this, thinking there must have been something I could have done to still succeed.
Any advice would be much appreciated!