The Secret to Success>>Failing Forward-Mastering A Critical Life & Leadership Skill
The Secret to Success>> Failing Forward
5 Ways to Master a Critical Life & Leadership Skill
Irene Becker | www.justcoachit.com | 3Q Leadership™ Blog
Helping smart people and organizations communicate and lead forward
smarter, faster and happier is what I do best
1. Understand Why Failing Forward is Critical to 21st Century Life and Leadership
If YOU want to succeed you need to learn how to fail forward; and of equal importance you must model and incorporate this skill in the culture of your organization. Whether your objective is building a successful small business, professional practice, team or enterprise that art of failing forward is more than the art of the start, it is the art that will drive sustainability, the art that will teach empowerment, engagement and resiliency>>>Learning to Fail Forward it is the linchpin for 21st Century Life and Leadership.
2. Recognize Your True Power & Use It
Failure brings us face of face with our true power and purpose; OR it leads us down a dark path of ignoring, denying or running away from that which could help us lead forward by optimizing our potential and the potential of others.
3. Take Your Ego Out of the Equation-It is Energy Going Out (In the Wrong Way)
Our greatest fear is not that we will fail or succeed. Rather, it is the fear that something will touch that human chord that tells us that we are not good enough, that we are lesser than we can be. It is the pain of invalidation, the pain of feeling that we are not worthy of success. Ego, as defined for the purposes of this article as the need to seek validation from external sources is
Most healthy, human beings fear invalidation. It is the most one of the most difficult and gut wrenching parts of our human journey. Some people run and hide from the pain of invalidation by trying to command, control and dominate. Others become the commanded, controlled and dominated. And then, there are those who just stay safe and avoid the prospect of invalidation by doing a good job but never engage their full potential.
For all the differences between us, our desire to survive and to contribute, to feel purposeful are real. When fear enters our minds, all human beings automatically go into a fight of flight response. The caveat is that learning to circumvent this fight or flight response is the coachable moment, it can be coached, we can retrain our brains and reset default mechanisms/behaviours so that those who lead and those who aspire to greater leadership can change the way they deal with challenges, crises in a way that optimizes their potential.
4. Do Something Counter-Intuitive>See Failure With New Eyes-Build Constructive Discontent and Optimize Potential by Using Problems as a Positive Catalyst for Solutions
There is a power in failure that has nothing to do with the act of failure and everything to do with our ability to re-engage the moral courage that it takes to develop our greatest ability and our greatest hope; our ability to use the very challenges we face, to transform the gaps, the problems with different eyes, eyes that guide us to new solutions and ways of communicating that drive engagement, empowerment and positive results.
I believe that the ability to fail forward, the power to use our mistakes, our challenges and even the crucibles to live better, lead better, communicate better and succeed better is critical to our individual and collective success. And, it means building what I call constructive discontent. What is constructive discontent? Psychologists would describe constructive discontent as the ability to stay grounded during an argument or conflict. But, to me it is much more. I call constructive discontent our ability to feel an emotion that is not comfortable and still continue forward by not losing the ability to tap into our potential and also remain focused on our objectives. It is an ability that once developed is a formidable tool in human relations and leadership, and it is also a pivotal skill that we can use in learning to accept our weaknesses and use our failures to build and grow our power rather than eroding the potential, imagination and purpose we need to build a better life and a better career.
5. Move Forward. Get Coached>Master the Art of Failing Forward and Make a Powerful Cultural Change in Your Organization, Your Business, Your Professional Practice and YOUR Life
The power, the freedom and the breakthrough results realized by learning to use failures as catalysts for personal growth, achievement, empowerment and success by learning to build constructive discontent cannot be minimized. The velocity of change, challenges and opportunities we face will continue to surpass anything we have experienced. Best practices can become stale or useless in the face of change, what worked in the past can become largely irrelevant; however, the ability to see problems, challenges differently is the new linchpin for leadership, success and well-being in the age of innovation and change.
What Can WE Accomplish By Failing Forward?
Guest Post, Seapoint Center> Rising to the Challenge Before Us-Leading Forward
How did I become an expert in Failing Forward?
Extraordinary Women Interview-Leading in the Face of Challenges
My Story-Against All Odds
About Irene Becker, Executive Coach, Consultant, Speaker, Writer
Chief Success Officer, Just Coach It -The 3Q Edge™
First woman CEO of a steel company in Canada, Irene Becker has a track record of trailblazing accomplishments in business and in the community at large. An insightful and inspiring executive coach, mentor, speaker and writer, Irene helps clients achieve breakthrough results in their communication, leadership and lives. Passionate about the integrity of her work and its ability to help change-makers LEAD change, Irene helps smart people and organizations develop 3Q Leadership™ and effective verbal, written and social communication that builds reach, resonance and results. Irene welcomes your emails at irene@justcoachit.com and tweets at @justcoachit