Note: Originally published in the New York Times by authors Janvi Chawla, Charles Du, Ciara Jackson, Brooks Mencke, Benedict Morris, Ian Reddy, Andres Schuler under senior advisor Don Yaeger
As leaders, we are told to be confident and sure in every action we take. We are told to be fearless. But when we look at how this advice unfolds in real-world situations, it often falls flat. Fear of failure is an all-pervasive part of the human psyche. Failure is the lack of success which induces a feeling of inadequacy, which in turn perpetuates the fear of failure in future endeavors, especially in a position of leadership. When failure inevitably arises it is met with disappointment, shame, and discouragement, within ourselves more than from the outside world. This breeds a reluctance to take even the smallest of risks. It depletes confidence in our abilities and our willingness to tackle challenges with innovative and unconventional methods. We also fear the failures of those we lead because of how they may reflect upon our leadership and image. How can we as leaders reconcile this seemingly idealistic advice with reality and manage this crippling fear that inhibits creativity and progress?
First, we must create an environment in which failure is not ridiculed or shamed but encouraged. Teams should strive for a culture rooted in trust because it grants the members a greater capacity for innovation. In a trust-based environment, the feeling of inadequacy associated with failure is minimized. Subsequently, any failure by a team member can be leveraged by the leader to discuss and act upon ideas which otherwise may not have been suggested. The environment of trust also gives the members the ability to innovate in their area without wasting resources in authority flowing up and down the chain of command. Knowing they are trusted with this responsibility, those who specialize and excel in a specific area are able to make effective decisions efficiently. This concept relies on complete trust between the team members, leaders and subordinates, to prioritize an environment of trust and acceptance.
Once we are surrounded by those who are more accepting of failure, we can encourage and pursue taking risks early. Fail hard, and fail fast. In the early stages of a project, there are fewer moving variables and fewer ways to make mistakes with large repercussions. We can feel more comfortable taking a creative approach, trying a new methodology, or following a nontraditional route right from the start. However, just because we are now in an environment more tolerant of failure, does not make mistakes desirable; they may still result in higher costs or backwards progress. The difference in this new environment we have created is — where once we might have tread the beaten path and followed the lead of others, we can now discover the excitement and potential of innovation and our own creativity. We have used failure as a stepping stone to personal and team growth. By taking risks early in the game and easing into who we can be, we prevent a shutdown of self when confronted with larger repercussions, and we bolster confidence in those unconventional decisions that result in achievement.
Now that we are taking risks, it is important to keep in mind a ‘Next Play’ mindset. Risks come with only a chance of success, and sometimes the odds are not in our favor. Rather than ruminating on the factors that caused failure, we can choose to learn from it and see how we can do better in the next iteration, the next chance, the next opportunity, the ‘Next Play.’ The common definition of failure addresses wrong action, but it can also refer to inaction. To lead without regrets, it is necessary to give our 100% and feel like there is nothing more we could have done to help the team. In doing this, we eliminate the side of failure that invokes inward negativity and unrealistic past thinking (“If only I had…”). We can instead redirect our efforts on what to do next. This is not acting as if the failure didn’t happen, but as if we have a blank slate to continue to learn and take risks. We encourage this outlook to prevent plateauing personal growth with negative emotion, which also has a high chance of affecting the team’s performance and our future level of contribution.
To truly manage the fear of failure, we must exercise the muscle of failure. By experiencing failure repeatedly, we can learn to face it head-on and adapt to the consequences better than if we rarely fail. These three steps — setting up the environment, taking risks early, and having a ‘Next Play’ mindset — are the key. We must purposefully tear the muscle so that over time, it will heal and grow to take on bigger and more meaningful failures. By adopting the mindset of exercising the muscle of failure we no longer view failure as an end, but as an opportunity for greatness.