When I flew in combat, the risk of failure was always present. I could have an aircraft malfunction, mess up a critical maneuver, or even get shot down. Success was never guaranteed. Success never is.
The possibility of failing at something is a beautiful thing. It incites risk and even helps eliminate complacency.
When something is at risk, fear, anxiety and doubt can result. But risk also forces you to stretch yourself and grow. It makes you train, focus, and contingency plan with a greater sense of discipline and attention to detail. And when you train, focus, and plan to the best of your ability, guess what normally results? Success.
Here’s what else happens: you build confidence, ability, experience, resilience and most of all, trust, in the most important wingman you have in your life…yourself.
If you want to take your business or life to new heights, try something where there’s a possibility you’ll fail. Be willing to stretch yourself and push your personal envelope. Step outside your comfort zone. Perform in the face of fear.
Top Gun winners in life take-off and fly even when there is a chance they’ll get shot at or fail. They face their fear, strap in, and fly the tough missions when others stay in the hangar of mediocrity. Winners prepare for failure and in doing so, avoid it.
But winners also accept that they may fail, regardless of how much they prepare. They embrace failure as an opportunity to grow.
So here’s a question: When the tough missions come, what will you do?
Yes – failure is always an option. Just do your part to avoid it. And don’t make it an option that chooses you.
Push it up!
Waldo
Waldo,
We live in a world that more and more is unaccepting of failure. I hate to think of a world where the Wright Brothers or Tom Edison quit after one try! When I hear all the casualty numbers from our war on terror in Iraq and Afghanistan, I wonder if there would be anyone with the stomach of U.S. Grant who followed up his tactical defeat at Cold Harbor (with casualties in the tens of thousands in a single day) with the strategic victory of Appomatox. I know in my career as a working scientist the censure for mistakes and error even in honest endeavor, with concern for laboratory safety and radiation hazards, has made learning much more difficult.
We live in a chaoplexic world where the ability to learn quickly from mistakes is a personal and organizational survival skill. Learning from mistakes is a major part of our “orientation” process. (Have you heard of Col. John Boyd’s OODA loop)
Agree 100% Joe. Society in many ways pushes a win at all costs mentality…And if you fail, you’re a failure. Resilience and the discipline and confidence to get up after being knocked down, clean yourself up, and to jump back in the jet, and give it another go is key to growth. How mediocre our country would be if gave up after our first major failure!
This is why capitalism, free trade, merit, and how our country rewards HARD WORK is so important to our growth.
Very familiar with OODA loop. Boyd was a genius!
Stay in touch…Waldo
Waldo,
I have always learned more from my failures than I ever did from my successes – failures causes one to reflect on what didn’t work, what steps could be taken to avoid what didn’t work and probably most important – how to pull oneself up by the bootstraps and continue to move forward.
Bingo Jay…gotta fail forward to make progress!
A Good Book, along this same thread: John Maxwell’s Failing Forward.
Great words. First really big lesson I remember from the RDT&D business came from a guy giveing me the right perspective on a failed test. “That wasn’t a failure it was a win–at least we now know what won’t work”.
Problem is,the military–and business–and society in general can’t tolerate any failure. Many Lessons Learned sessions are really just exercises in CYA which puts us on the path for repetitive failure at even greater cost.
Dan, I agree with you…CYA is pretty rampant these days. but consider this: If you look at the best companies and those that innovate the fastest, they have a toleration for failure. More importantly – look at the most successful entrepreneurs…they embrace failure and grow the most from it. I think failure, slowly but surely, is becoming more tolerable than in a country like Japan for example…where it is shunned big time.
Have a great new year!