
Blog Post
Turning a Negative into a Positive: Learning from Failure and Moving Toward Success
October 25, 2016 / Category: Business Success , Leadership

Failure is a shared human experience. Learning from our failures is the key to eventual success. How do you learn from these situations and take the experience forward into a more successful future?
- Know when to admit defeat – don’t be too afraid to say, “This isn’t working.” The first step to moving on is acknowledging that the present situation is not working
- Don’t candy-coat the situation – you need to be honest with yourself and with your team members regarding what went wrong.
- No finger-pointing – the point is to move forward constructively; blaming yourself or others creates division, defensiveness and resentment. None of these things are thefoundation of a prosperous future – and they certainly are not indicative of great leadership!
- Push through the fear – it’s natural to feel apprehensive about sifting through a negative experience and starting over, but not doing so really isn’t an option if you want to move on productively.
- Teamwork – if you’re licking your wounds following a personal career failure, lean on your mentors and trusted business friends for truth-telling, accountability and encouragement; if you’re a business owner or manager, cultivate these same attributes among your team members.
- Failing at an endeavor certainly is not something we strive for, but it does happen, even when we’ve given our best. The good news is, failure does not define us, our career, or our businesslife. Learning from the experience, moving forward, and rebuilding are what matter in the end.Failure is an option – just work through it and keep moving forward!
