Most people fear failure. This fear comes from society telling us that failing is wrong and we should be ashamed. The reality, however, is that failure is part of life. It is just one step on the path we will walk. It is not rational to think that every step we take in life will be perfect on the first try. We can learn and improve so that the same mistake will not be repeated. Successful leaders know the significance of making mistakes and learning from failure. (1)
Leaders aren’t superheroes, nor do they hold special powers. They are just ordinary people who want to be liked like everyone else. Leaders also:
- …have emotions (e.g., happy, sad, embarrassed, proud, envious, generous, etc.)
- …have successes and failures
- …have fears and blind spots
- …have strengths and weaknesses
- …have the knowledge to give and the capacity to learn
- …can offer help and need help
- …have been challenged and have also been victorious
The best leaders are ones that are always seeking to improve themselves (as individuals) as well as to become better leaders (professionals).
Here are 10 ways that top-performing leaders use self-reflection as a catalyst for growth and inspiration.
1. Get In Tune with Emotions
Great leaders seek to understand their own emotions and those of others. Emotional Intelligence (EQ) refers to the level at which someone can recognize, manage, and express their own emotions. It also includes the ability to influence the feelings of other people. Those with a high EQ tend to display the following characteristics, self-regulation, self-awareness, motivation, social skills, and empathy. Read about EQ here. (2)
2. Eliminate Excessive Ego
Having a healthy ego is fine, but it can be dangerous when it ventures into the territory of pride. The adage – pride goes before the fall applies in these scenarios. Being overly confident in one’s abilities can lead to disastrous outcomes. Everyone, including leaders, has limitations of some kind. Time, capacity, or capability are the most common issues. Resolve ego issues by recognizing when you may be wrong, when someone else might have specialized skills/insight/knowledge, or when someone else’s experience may be helpful. It’s entirely acceptable to not have all the answers or to shift directions when needed to get things back on track.
3. Address Fear
Whether it’s fear of success or fear of failure, the response is the same. An ineffective leader will be reluctant to try new things, allow others to take the reins, make snap judgments, or be worried about their reputation. These fears must be addressed for effective leadership to occur. One way to address fear is to take the emotional aspects out of the equation. Analyze data, not fear. Learn from failures and ask others to share their failures so that you don’t feel alone.
4. Take Off Blinders
Blind spots, caused by ignorance or intentional omission, compromise quality leadership. They prevent seeing things as others may see them, often depict inaccurate scenarios, and hinder acting when the time is right or mission critical. One common blind spot is a leader who believes everyone is their target audience. Another is that employees must be content because the complaints are minimal. Still, one more is that a given product or service is better than competitors simply because people continue to purchase it. Removing blinders often means having uncomfortable conversations with stakeholders and allowing them to have a voice in the company. It means being actively involved in the day-to-day working environment so the leader can see what employees require, how they act with each other and across departments, how workloads are distributed, and how customers encounter and how they are handled.
5. Accept Failure Gracefully
No one is perfect. Failure can and will happen. It’s part of the learning process. All people, yes, ALL highly successful people have failed at something in their life, whether it was in business or in their personal life.
A journalist once asked Thomas Edison how it felt to fail a thousand times when inventing the lightbulb. He responded by stating, “I didn’t fail 1,000 times. The lightbulb was an invention with 1,000 steps.” (3)
Leaders need to understand that their employees are going to encounter failure. Likewise, leaders will fail too. Leaders need to model how to handle it with grace. Failure can be used as an opportunity to identify what happened, what could have been done better, what was done well, what was learned, what skills are needed, and where help can be found if the error is reencountered. A failure may just be a step on the path to success.
6. Communicate
One of the key aspects that separate successful leaders from everyone else are that they remember communication is a two-way street. It isn’t just about what they say to others, but what their employees say to them. People need to listen and encourage ideas and collaboration. Leaders must learn when to talk and when to let those around them do the talking. This is the mark of an influential leader and the leaders who do this turn failure into success.
7. Never Stop Learning
A leader who is happy with the status quo and is content with doing things the same way they have always been done is dangerous. Something that worked once may not work the next time, especially regarding strategies, technology, and methodology. A great leader should be seeking to keep current with new skills, what’s going on within their industry as well as the clients they serve, spending time with employees to get hands-on knowledge, etc. A leader should also look to other leaders to learn from them.
8. Seek Assistance
Leaders aren’t exempt from needing help just because they hold a specific role. Leaders should not be fearful that asking for help will make them look less knowledgeable, inferior, or weak. On the contrary, asking for help humanizes them when it’s done correctly. Ask for a fresh perspective, especially when speaking to subordinates. Also, collaborate with same-level peers or higher.
PRO TIP: Online support communities can be exceptionally valuable for collaborative environments. These work best when the leader is regularly contributing themself, rather than only needing Assistance.
9. Be Honest
Honesty is hard. It’s far too easy to stretch reality and exaggerate the data. It’s also easier to pretend that failure is not a big deal and to undervalue mistakes. Perhaps a “little white lie” is sometimes appropriate to protect the organization, but when a leader does, the last thing they want to do is to create panic. A true leader will lead with the truth, even if it is uncomfortable.
10. Own It
Own the problem. Successful leaders focus on one solution and will clearly communicate the solution with their team. Leaders focus on what they need to do, not what they should have done. Being obsessed with what was, distracts from what is needed now.
No one fails and enjoys it. Everyone wants positive outcomes from their initial efforts but that’s not reality. Often part of the beauty of the journey is the climb it takes to get to the summit. Babe Ruth made 714 home runs which was the record up to 1974. He also had 1,330 strikeouts. People do not refer to him as the “Strikeout King” but as the “King of Home Runs.” (4)
The fact is that failing numerous times before getting it right is simply part of the process. Great leaders are not ashamed of failure and do not try to hide their failures. They learn lessons from their failures, determine what didn’t work, and try to get back on track.
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SOURCE:
- https://www.ideatovalue.com/inno/eric-gordon/2017/08/4-reasons-great-leaders-not-afraid-fail/
- https://www.gavelintl.com/the-compelling-roi-of-leaders-who-have-emotional-intelligence/
- https://medium.com/cry-mag/thomas-edisons-theorem-for-success-b96591bf7dd1
- https://medium.failfection.com/lessons-from-babe-ruths-failure-433f22b58ead
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