How to Fail Successfully?<\/h2>\n

First of all, let\u2019s get to the obvious point: If you have a choice, choose to succeed over failing. The intent of this article is not to convince you otherwise.<\/p>\n

However, you should expect to fail every once in a while. This article touches on key points for how to fail successfully. If you never fail, then it probably means you should stretch your personal risk profile (or that you have a distorted view of the true definition of success).<\/p>\n

If you avoid the possibility of failing because mistakes are a professional death sentence, then consider seeking another profession or another environment – but that\u2019s a topic for another article.<\/p>\n

Why Fail?<\/h3>\n

Although it\u2019s a bit clich\u00e9, there is much truth in the notion that you can learn more from failing than succeeding. Failing simply stretches us more. It makes us get outside of our comfort zone and is often a situation that accelerates development by necessity. We find ourselves improving in areas like analyzing, decision making, conflict management, sensitive communications, and judgment.<\/p>\n

Tips for Failing Successfully<\/h3>\n

By definition, when failing occurs, we experience the undesirable downside of taking risks. Every opportunity has a cost and potential risk association. Effectively managing that risk is a definitive factor in failing successfully.<\/p>\n

Here are some important risk management-related tips for failing successfully:<\/p>\n

\n
• Fail small.<\/strong> Start with a trial run in order to minimize any potential risk. One of my favorite questions at the front-end of a risky move is \u2018how can we pilot this?\u2019<\/em>. In general, we underutilize tools like prototypes, models, and pilots because of overconfidence, a need for speed, or a lack of imagination. Granted, some situations call for an all-or-nothing approach. But that\u2019s not always the case.<\/li>\n
• Fail objectively.<\/strong> Define success up front. Establish the measures of success and get buy-in from stakeholders. Identify the most likely conditions that could cause results to fall short of expectations and create transparency around them.<\/li>\n
• Fail fast.<\/strong> Investment increases with time. The higher the investment, the greater the expectation for success. Even if you are in an environment that recognizes the benefits of failing, the expectation for learning and development ROI rises as more time passes. Most situations are not life and death. There is a cost for keeping projects on life support, so know when to pull the plug.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

  Tripwires<\/h3>\n

  One concept that brings these tips together – tripwires – is discussed by Chip Heath and Dan Heath in their book Decisive. Tripwires are essentially if\/then statements that assist with decisions of whether to take an alternative action.<\/p>\n

  They are important because they increase objectivity and reduce the emotion involved in critical decision making. Tripwires are an excellent tool to use in strategic planning or at the beginning of an initiative.<\/p>\n

  For each major risk or potentially negative outcome, tripwires define the condition that could emerge and<\/em> the action that will be taken because of it. Here are a few examples:<\/p>\n

  \n
  • If<\/strong> revenue for our new product declines for two consecutive quarters, then<\/strong> we will discontinue production.<\/li>\n
  • If<\/strong> we get more than 20 complaints about the new web-only enrollment option, then<\/strong> we will develop a paper-based alternative.<\/li>\n
  • If<\/strong> projected enrollment rises to more than 4,000 students for three consecutive years, then<\/strong> we will initiate activities to build a new school.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Role of the Leader<\/h3>\n

    Environments that allow for failing successfully will be more innovative.<\/strong> Ensuring that the culture includes innovation is the responsibility of the leader. In addition, the leader must ensure that failing which occurs throughout the organization also translates into learning throughout the organization. A more in-depth view of the leader\u2019s role in failing successfully will be a separate article. There\u2019s a lot to cover on that topic.<\/p>\n

    You may notice that not once did this article use the word \u2018failure\u2019. That\u2019s a very harsh and almost always unfair label that is applied to projects, work, and even people.<\/p>\n

    It\u2019s unfortunate that \u2018failing\u2019 and \u2018failure\u2019 are derivatives of the same word when failing is important to success. Thomas Edison may have said it best \u2013 \u201cI have not failed. I\u2019ve just found 10,000 ways that won\u2019t work\u201d<\/em>. Thomas Edison \u2013 hardly a failure.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    If you’re going to fail, why not do it successfully? This article touches on 3 key points for how to do so, as well as example of ‘tripwires’ that will help you recognize when it’s time to take an alternative action.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":731,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[8,9],"tags":[51,52,53,54],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thepeopleadvantage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/730"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thepeopleadvantage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thepeopleadvantage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thepeopleadvantage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thepeopleadvantage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=730"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/thepeopleadvantage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/730\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":733,"href":"https:\/\/thepeopleadvantage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/730\/revisions\/733"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thepeopleadvantage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/731"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thepeopleadvantage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=730"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thepeopleadvantage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=730"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thepeopleadvantage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=730"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}