Failure – A Necessary Ingredient for Success

Face it – everyone fails. Some of us more than others. If you’ve not failed recently, you may be playing it safe. That means you are unlikely to fail or to embarrass yourself or do something stupid. It also means that you are not going to grow or learn or bring into fruition something that is greater than yourself.

That does not mean, however, that failing will naturally lead to success. Far too often, it leads to retreating even more into our “comfort zone”. To becoming even less willing to take on the next challenge. To externalizing the causes of our failures. To telling ourselves that we will never do that again. I know this space, because I’ve been there before.

In addition to retreating, failure often results in hiding. It is amazing the degree to which individuals and organizations will go to in order to cover up their mistakes. People and projects and at times, entire departments, disappear and become “taboo” to mention. There is a black hole for failures – they are whisked away, cleaned up and never to be spoken of again.

The net/net of playing it safe, staying in our comfort zones and not hiding our failures can result in the ultimate failure – of not offering the world the best of what we have to give. So how can failure and the way we deal with it lead to success?

I had an opportunity to hear Michael Coffey, a visionary, talented, and driven entrepreneur who was just recently highlighted in a Forbes article, speak about his journey. By just about any measure, you would say that this person in their mid 30s was a resounding success. But what struck me about Michael’s remarks was the degree to which his successes were born of his failures. Here is how he would summarize it:

“I have worked for corporations, start-ups, and built a multi-million dollar company with 30 employees in one year. I have grown revenues for every segment I have worked in and I have learned more and more about people, business, and life at every stage. I have made horrible decisions and have made great decisions but have always gained experience from both. At the end of the day I have found my love in business to be in the building of teams, mentoring of employees and operations of organizations that cause growth and profits. I embrace mistakes as long as you learn from them and move forward, and nothing frustrates me more than watching someone sit still because of the fear of failure… it breeds mediocrity.”

Michael illustrates the degree to which:

• Setting a high bar will challenge you – and will naturally result in some failures. It will also result in some resounding successes.
• Owning your failures is an opportunity to learn and grow from them. Faster and deeper and in ways that make you more likely to succeed the next time around.
• Rebounding from your failures quickly, maintains momentum and direction. When asked how long, after a failure, it takes to pick himself up and get on track – his reply was about 4 hours (yes hours – not weeks, months or years).

So I encourage you to challenge yourself – then know that missteps will occur. And when they do – to learn deeply, recover quickly – and come at it again. You’ll be smarter and better equipped and much more likely to succeed – thanks in a large part to failing.