LEADERS ALSO LEARN FROM THEIR FAILURES
Last week I wrote about the importance of learning from our mistakes. During that newsletter, I clarified the difference between mistakes and failures.
This week I want to talk about learning from failures, as well as from mistakes.
I was reminded of the importance of this skill while reading an article in The Athletic’s “Peak”series about Jalen Brunson, the hero of the New York Knicks’ recent NBA championship.
In response to a question at his press conference prior to the clinching game, Brunson said “I think the one thing that stays constant with all I’ve been through is I’ve always told myself and always been taught by my parents to never be afraid to fail.”
“If you do fail, “Brunson added, “you’re going to learn anyway.”
This article said that Brunson had articulated a concept that Manu Kapur, the author of the book “Productive Failure: Unlocking Deeper Learning through the Science of Failing, “ had spent a long time trying to understand: why does embracing failure give people an edge going forward?
For some time, Kapur “has argued that failure deserves a more nuanced reputation. While most people instinctively avoid mistakes, researchers who studied learning have found that certain kinds of failure can actually accelerate growth. “
Kapur states that “the first thing is understanding that not all failures are the same. We’re not saying all failure is good. We’re talking about a particular kind of failure that comes from attempting something beyond your current capabilities.”
As the article reminds us, there is a difference between failure, born from carelessness and failure that emanates from stretching ourselves.
Kapur maintains that failing because we are striving to stretch ourselves is essential for our ultimate improvement at different skill sets. He says that “Failure, initially, when you’re trying to grow, is good because in that way, you learn better, you develop better, so that failure when it matters – like a high stakes game, or exam, or performance – is reduced.” So you use failure early to fight failure later.
Kapur believes that “the productive part of failure comes after the struggle. You try something, it doesn’t work, your interest in finding out how to make it work rises, and then you’ll show a better way.”
He believes that this can even increase attention and motivation because failure often produces frustration which, in the correct environment, and with the right mindset, can show up and focus.
He has found that people often want to know why, which makes them more engaged in finding the proper answer. “Those emotions become powerful drivers of learning because struggle signals that something important is happening and directs our brain’s attention towards solving the problem.”
As the article states, “productive failure is not about embracing errors when the stakes are high. It’s about creating opportunities to fail when the stakes are low enough to learn from them.”
So as you continue on your personal leadership journey, I invite you to ask yourself questions about how you can best learn from failure.
-What recent failures did you or your team experience?
-Did you make time to ask yourselves the important question of what you learned from those failures?
-Did you document those lessons somewhere so that current and future teammates can benefit from what you learned?
-How can you take those failure lessons and apply them so that similar failures do not take place in the future?
-How can you incorporate learning from failure to become part of your own leadership culture?
Leadership is about a lifetime of learning. We learn in many different ways. Learning from our mistakes and our failures is one powerful approach!
If you believe this content would resonate with a friend or colleague, please feel free to forward it along!
-Larry