We all fear failing. I know I do. Yet, I also know that without failure I remain stagnant and soon become irrelevant to myself and others.
So how do I embrace failure and make it my friend?
When I make a mistake or fail at something I have done, I evaluate what I could have done differently. Sometimes I didn’t have the right resources such as knowledge, skills, finances or time. Or it could have been a de-railing behavior that leads to the negative outcome. If others are aware of my failure, I ask for their feed forward. What behaviors did I display that may have impacted the negative outcome and recommendations for improving the behavior.
If it is a resources issue that requires knowledge or skills then I ask myself “who do I know who can work with me to fill these gaps?” If it is time, “do I need to start delegating to free up more time?”
This questioning process of me and others is an active learning technique which I use during my coaching conversations with coaches as well as teach coaches to practice on themselves and others.
The more you practice these techniques, the easier it will be to take on projects that will stretch and grow you as a professional as well as a person. Fear will evolve into a sense of tension and anxiety which are more positive and motivating. These feeling lead to movement, while fear keeps people in one place like a very strong magnet!
