Recovering From Failure

“Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure… than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.” ~ Theodore Roosevelt

If you and your company haven’t experienced a major setback or significant failure or two, there’s a good chance you’re either inexperienced or not close enough to the action to understand what’s really going on. With all due respect, if it’s always been easy sailing and gentle currents bringing you wherever you wanted to go, fasten your seatbelts. No matter how calm the seas are today, you can be certain there will be many rough waters and real storms ahead.

Many well-known companies have bounced back after major setbacks include NetFlix, Starbucks and Ford Motor Company, and I would bet for every setback that makes national news, we are surrounded by local and regional companies with their own comeback stories.  When we look at these success stories, we almost always discover a leader who didn’t panic, didn’t isolate herself or himself, and didn’t focus on blame or act like the sky was falling. Most importantly, whoever led the organization to better days didn’t let fear paralyze it.

Naturally, most of us enjoy the still waters and easy opportunities, and it’s fun and exciting to make things happen when things are going our way. But leaders who want to grow beyond just good also need to develop the capacity to help their employees and co-workers bounce back after a big company disappointment or failure. 

The list of things that could go wrong is long. Sometimes it’s the loss of a big client or perhaps an event, product or division that underperformed or totally missed the mark. Sometimes we can see the storm coming, but often we are blindsided. In that case, anything less than nimble leadership will not be enough. If possible, a good leader will get the company to safer ground as quickly as possible and then help employees deal with the disappointment and failure before compassionately guiding them back on course.

Every company faces adversity at some point. It’s keeping that from demoralizing the team that demonstrates leadership. So what should a leader possess? Ideally, a mix of knowledge, intuition, experience, courage, a willingness to listen and a “grounded-in-reality” sense of optimism.

It’s About Leadership

Here are four important things a leader can do to inspire and restore confidence and lead a company to calmer waters.

Remain calm. Don’t look for someone to blame. Rather, look for course corrections. The question must quickly shift from “What just happened?” to “What are we going to do now?” That seemingly simple transition is action-based and moves employees, teams and entire companies beyond fear and disappointment and into the realm of making things better.

Keep a sense of humor. Be willing to learn from mistakes, but don’t dwell on your misfortune. Be hopeful and optimistic about the future. Most of us want leaders who believe we can get to a better place. Most of us are willing to follow bold leaders who don’t fall apart when things go south. When a leader expresses courage and optimism, it is contagious

Stay focused on the team. Give everyone a chance to vent their frustrations, share their observations, and offer perspectives that may lead to a solution or a better way to do things in the future. Rising to the challenge as a team strengthens the organization and increases camaraderie and trust.

Lead by example. Demonstrate to the team how to pick yourself up, dust yourself off and get back in the game. Disappointments are a dime a dozen. Working for someone who is not thrown by setbacks and not afraid to get back to plate inspires others better than any specific technique, motivational speech or mantra. 

The Silver Lining

Crises leave lessons in their wake. After the crisis is over, we have the opportunity to revisit the company’s culture and rethink how the organization will face future disappointments. This means creating a company personality that prepares employees for challenging times and leaves them better positioned to deal with the inevitable failures that are all part of the game.

Moments of defeat can be used to teach that failures are part of the game. We can discuss how not taking risks can keep a business on the sidelines. Even if a business’s first crisis isn’t handled well, it can be used as a teaching tool to show that failures can be managed. Finally, crises can be used to show how to accept responsibility in order to get things right the next time. 

Failures are proof that we are moving forward, charting new paths and making things happen. If nothing else, it’s unlikely you’ll make that mistake again.

Paul Boynton, president and CEO of The Moore Center in Manchester, is also a personal coach, corporate consultant and motivational speaker. He is the author of Begin with Yes and Beginnings-A Daily Guide for Adventurous Souls. Reach him at beginwithyes@comcast.net. For more information,visit www.beginwithyes.com.