THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Failure

“Fear of failure must never be a reason not to try something.” - Frederick Smith

TOPIC OF THE DAY

Responding to Failure

Everyone reacts differently to failure: some immediately accuse others while some take the heat themselves, even if undeserved. Next time you and your team fail, resist the temptation to place blame. Take these three steps instead:
1. Think before you act. Don't respond immediately or impulsively. Doing so can make matters worse. Take the time to consider several possible interpretations of the event and how you might react.
2. Listen and communicate. Never assume you know what others think. Gather feedback and then explain your own actions and intentions.
3. Search for a lesson. Mistakes happen. It may be that you're to blame, someone else is, or no one is. Create and test hypotheses about how and why the failure happened to prevent it from happening again.


Today's thought is adapted from "Managing Yourself: Can You Handle Failure?" by Ben Dattner and Robert Hogan cited in Harvard Management Tips