Tag Archives: fail

Quit Early / fail

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Your opportunities to quit early are many. At the first sign of resistance. During the middle of the first hard ascent. When the comfort of the bed seems better than the early morning of sweat and hard work. As pain creeps in. Facing an unforeseen and ridiculous obstacle. When you are no longer favored to win. Early on you will run smack into  … Anxiety … Loneliness … Pain … Ridicule … Easier Paths … Being behind … Comfort … Conformity … Fatigue.

Don’t trade in your dreams, visions, goals and ambitions by quitting shortly after you have begun. What you are experiencing in those early tests is common to every leader. The resistance sharpens the leader. The pressure shapes you and prepares you for better things yet to come.

Lance Armstrong is a 7 time Tour de France champion (the undisputed, single hardest cycling competition in the world) because he doesn’t quite when things get hard, when others get ahead or when he experiences a set back. He steels himself with resolve, grit, determination. ‘I am done’ is not in his vocabulary when the prize is still out in front. Yesterday he blew out a tire and saw his rivals gain minutes on him in the month long race that is separated by mere seconds in the end. His response:

“Our chances took a knock today,” Armstrong said. “I’m not going home, we’ll stay in the race and keep trying.”

* A short series of failures you can make as a young leader.

Stay Home / fail

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Go nowhere. Dabble in no other realms, kingdoms or provinces. Seek the protection under the wing of your momma and the comfort of what you already know. Stay home! This is a sure fire way to stunt your growth as a leader. Sure, it’s rewarding (and possibly essential) to have a home base where you can rejuvenate, develop, connect with ‘easy friends’ and launch out from, but don’t stop there. Don’t get mired down in the usual stuff. Throw yourself out into new environments, adventures and situations. Take a trip. Volunteer on new projects. Seek out connections in cities beyond your current reach. Move to a next level challenge. Take some risks.

If Lebron James stays in Cleveland I will be far less interested in him as a leader. Sure, he may win championships there, but he will have passed up the opportunity to do it on the world’s largest stage. And in the process, he will have shied from the greater challenges and the larger exposure that made him great as a young guy when he skipped college and went right into the NBA.

* A short series of failures you can make as a young leader.

Teach in failure

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Young leaders need feedback. They won’t make all of the right moves and they won’t have all of the experience that you wish they would have to inform their decision making in tough situations. They also don’t have the requisite vision to see what is coming next. That is what makes them young leaders. When (not if) they fail, you can ignore the problem, which ultimately leads to no growth due to your lack of involvement. Or, you can address the failure. It is in these moments where you can lead them towards success by coming alongside them as a coach, giving insights and guidance that will equip them for their next opportunities. I believe that this beats out the alternative, which is chewing them out like a military drill sergeant. So, here are some suggestions:

  • tackle the performance issue while it is still fresh, don’t put it off till later (coach in the moment)
  • invite the young leader into the solution process
  • don’t skirt the issues with subtleties, be direct
  • give tangible examples of how performance can be improved
  • don’t over react… the world isn’t coming to an end because they made a mistake, so put them back in the game right away
  • give encouragement about the future whenever possible