I’ve talked with many leaders and phenomenally successful people about their attitudes toward failure. Every single one of them has had an inspirational outlook on the concept of failing. In fact, many of them credit their failures as the impetus they needed to achieve their goals. Rather than letting it hold them back, they used roadblocks as learning opportunities that helped them pave the right path forward.
Jacob Brown, a transformational speaker, author, and former NFL player recently released a book titled Fail Forward Mentality. In it, he shares the powerful message that we will all fail at some point in our lives, but we must use that failure as inspiration to move forward and improve. He described the fail forward concept, “If you are a running back and you need three yards for a touchdown, and you’re tackled after one yard—if you fall backward, you still have three yards to the goal. But, if you fall forward, you will gain another yard and be only two yards from the goal.” We must use our shortcomings as learning tools; otherwise, they are a waste.
Emmy Award-winning musician Ranaan Meyer tells how mistakes made during performances used to unhinge him to the point of feeling like he’d fallen off a cliff, continuing to “mess up.” He came to understand that when a fellow bandmate made a mistake, it was an opportunity for him to show support and even “riff” or play off that supposed mistake, having fun with it and potentially creating an even more interesting composition.
Hollywood agent Matt Labov freely admitted to me that he’s made scores of mistakes in his career but has accepted them, undeterred in his quest to do “something great.” He implores his associates to attempt at all times “to be great” rather than playing it safe.
Cliff Goldmacher is a Grammy Award-winning songwriter and author. I talked with him about his journey in music and how he applies creativity and innovation to the business world. To him, failure is part of the creative process. He was writing songs for 20 years before he had one that made it to the Billboard charts. It took him 30 years to get a song on a Grammy-winning album. It’s all about taking chances. To Cliff, if you work and commit to what you’re doing, good things will happen—maybe not in the timeframe you’d like, but they’ll come your way.
When I interviewed bestselling author Seth Godin for my podcast, Difference Talks, I reminded him of a two-day seminar he hosted decades ago in New York that several of my team members attended. At the end of the first day, one of my employees called to inform me they were coming home early and that Seth was refunding the seminar cost. I asked why, and the response was, “Seth told us that he was not satisfied with what he was providing, apologized, and said he was issuing refunds.” What may have seemed like a negative turned out to be positive, as it revealed Seth’s integrity despite the allure of making money. Since that moment, I’ve been a loyal follower and fan of his.
Failure is Expected and a Natural Part of Life
For pet lovers out there, have you ever watched your dog stumble or fall while trying to jump in your lap? Animals show no embarrassment. I once heard my 16-year-old, mostly blind Maltipoo accidentally tumble into our swimming pool. I heard the sound and raced to save her. She was paddling away, head up and ready for a helping hand. That’s how we need to behave when we stumble.
Show Grace. . . to Yourself
I think it’s easier to support others through their failures than to show the same compassion to ourselves. Perhaps a little acceptance, as long as you fail forward, would go a long way.
All great leaders acknowledge they have and will continue to fall short, missing the mark. What makes them great is their ability to use their failures as a tool to inform future successes. Let’s join them in moving forward.
