What Should I Do About Failure

Yesterday I was on a panel at a student conference

And one of the students asked ‘All of the speakers mentioned failure as important in the process, how do we think about failing?’

Annoyingly, I was at the end of the line

So all of the typical, cliche, good advice had already gone.

Failure is part of the process, we all fail so it’s inevitable etc.

So I had to come up with something that hadn’t already been mentioned

Outside of failing fast, failing often and pointing out examples in science where failure actually led to better success

(e.g. Night nurse was going to be binned because it made people drowsy, until they realised that’s a plus at night times.

Viagra was going to be scrapped until they realised that patients weren’t willing to give their tablets back)

The only other question I had was this

‘Are you scared of failure, or are you scared of how people might perceive you if you do fail?’

Because I think we fail all the time, and we’re fine with it - because no one actually sees

It’s public failure that people don’t like

Which means it’s not failure we hate

It’s people thinking we’re failures that we don’t like

I’d love to have some magic advice on how to avoid not wanting people to think we’re crap…

But I’ve not figured that one out for me yet - so I can’t help you.

I think it’s inherently human to worry about how others perceive us.

Whole industries of fashion, beauty, luxury and even health and fitness - are built on our perception of ourselves but also how others perceive us.

What I can say?

Is that the best thing that I’ve done to help with this? Is not judge other people changing direction

I used to be very ‘God 5 minutes ago they were doing this, now they’ve pivoted again - it must not have worked out, the idiots’

Whereas now? I’m much more of the mindset of ‘It’s cool they tried that, wonder if it worked but they didn’t love it, or if it didn’t work, or it taught them what WOULD work’

That softening of how I see other people, has helped me embrace my own failing in public, much faster than anything else could. Give it a try.