News

The Overachiever’s Guide To Overcoming Failure

The Overachiever’s Guide To Overcoming Failure
by Catherine Iste

Who gets everything right on the first try? If we are honest about it, many of our successes are built on a pile of mistakes and failures. And although failure has made its way into acceptable business vernacular — fail fast, fail often! — we are not naturally inclined to discuss our mistakes, let alone spend time creating a system to support, encourage or work through those missteps.

So, whether it's blowing a big presentation, losing our cool at a meeting or making mistakes on our work, here is the overachiever's guide to working through those inevitable, pesky missteps.

Hug it out

Not literally, of course, but an important step in the process of working through failure is to embrace it. Accountability and ownership are well-worn management terms, and at this point most of us are practiced at talking the talk.

But there is more to it than that. We must honestly look at the mistake and ask: How bad is it really? Do we fail in this manner all the time? Was it an isolated incident? Was there anything good about what we did? By realistically assessing the issue, we will be better prepared to address it and let it go.

Unfortunately, overachievers rarely give themselves enough leeway to allow for anything but perfection. This is a flawed model. So, if it is too tough to cut yourself some slack, ask yourself: What would I do if my colleague or team member did the same thing? Get a little perspective and give yourself a hug instead of beating yourself up over it.

Read full article on MultiBriefs.