Recovering from failure (and why you need to fail) 🤔

Let's be honest; Nobody wants to fail and nobody wants to make a mistake. It's embarrassing, it makes you feel bad, some colleagues may talk about you and the list goes on.

And yet, as humans, we all fail and all make a mistake at least once in our lives - it's basically guaranteed.

Heck, even I have made mistakes and have failed during my career!

In my view, making mistakes provides some of the best lessons. Which is why in this post, I want to talk about why we worry about mistakes, what we can learn from them and what you can do if you make a mistake.

So if we all know that everyone makes mistakes, why do we fear and worry about it so much?

I got inspiration for this post after viewing (the very good) webcomic, work chronicles, on this subject. I've been in situations where I've seen both scenarios play out.

• The situation is seen as a learning experience
• The situation becomes a race to find someone to blame (or to run and hide!)

The comic above illustrates the exact reason why we fear failing so much at work; the response from the management. There are plenty of motivational posters claiming that failing means __F__irst __A__ttempt __I__n __L__earning or some other 'inspring' quote from a CEO and yet, when we make a mistake, there's always the fear of getting in trouble.

The fear of failure is also called 'atychiphobia' (something I didn't know until I researched this topic!) and there are plenty of artilces out there which talk about the fear of failing.

But failing isn't just in the work place. It's outside of work as well. I highly suggest you watch this TED Talk which talks about celebrating failure.

People need to remember the human in these situations. Making a mistake isn't a crime, but not learning from it is a serious oversight.

Don't beat yourself up if you fail. If everyone was sacked for making a mistake, there would be a lot of unemployed people in the world!

So, what can you do if you make a mistake? I've thought about this and decided to make a post of useful tips to help should you need it!

If you've made a mistake...

Keep calm

Keeping calm is essential. It will allow you to think if you're facing pressure and not think negatively. Remember - everyone makes mistakes!

If you want to calm yourself down, try breathing deeply and focusing on something else. Applications such as Headspace can really help if you're struggling to keep calm.

Take note of what you can learn for next time

You should always take the opportunity to learn from what happened. Write it down or take a note in an application of your choice or wherever. Just make sure you take a note of what you've learnt from the situation and what you will do differently next time.

Remain professional

At all times, remain professional. You don't want to make the situation worse and you don't want to impact the relationship you have with your colleagues.

Focus on your work

Don't let background noise get to you. Focus on the task at hand. In my experience, focusing on work can help you organise your mind and keep you calm.

Don't dwell on it

I let one situation dwell on me for a long time, even after the situation was resolved. And honestly, don't worry about it. Once the situation is resolved, move on.

Try again

Don't let one failure damage your confidence. Try again, there is no harm in trying and applying what you've learnt.

If you see someone make a mistake...

Don't make fun of them

Seriously, don't do this. It's a horrible thing to do and unprofessional. You wouldn't want someone to do that to you, right?

Don't bring it up (again and again)

Nobody wants to be reminded on their mistakes, so don't do this. It'll impact your relationship with your colleagues and it looks unprofessional.

Give support if needed

If your colleague needs some help, and if you can help them, then help them. It might be in an area that you have experience in!

If you're management...

Remember the human

At the end of the day, everyone is human. Everyone makes mistakes. Listen to your employee and understand them as much as possible. Having someone understand you is incredibly important.

So why do you need to fail?

Although nobody likes to make a mistake - it happens. And you know what? Those failures can provide some of the best lessons that you'll never forget. You may come across the same situation in the future and you'll be ready for it.

Those situations give you experience and knowledge that you can use in the future. In some cases, you wouldn't get that knowledge or experience from a book or a course.

So don't worry if you make a mistake. Everyone makes mistakes. Learn from it and move forward.

I just wish that managers would be more understanding. I get that there are deadlines and deliverables, and when something goes wrong it isn't ideal. However, taking the time to listen, understand and see how your employees learn from the situation will bring more benefits in the long run.

Thanks for reading! 👍