FAIL FORWARD IN 2008

Why is failure considered to be such a negative term? Fear… that’s why. We’re afraid of losing our money, our ego, our pride and our credibility. It’s been said… “To be more successful in life, we need to double our rate of failure.” Seems oxymoronic… right?

We simply can’t succeed without failing. Consider this true story. A successful manufacturing executive; while leading his $400 million company, recently stepped into a staff meeting… and commenced sharing one of his biggest and most embarrassing failures. He then challenged his staff, by laying 2 one hundred dollar bills on the table. He said… “Anyone who can share a failure bigger than mine, will win this $200.” Well, the first meeting was a flop. Nobody spoke up. They were too afraid of being shamed and embarrassed.

At the next monthly meeting… they were able to break through that fear barrier. He ended up awarding that $200 to one of his staff who so bravely shared one of her most colossal failures. From that second monthly meeting on… he was never left with his $200 on the table. Since that moment… his manufacturing company continued to be more and more successful… quadrupling their gross sales every year.

Failure is not a crime. Failure to learn from failure… is the crime.

As you approach 2008, I hope you’ll find some of the following quotes as educational and inspirational as I did.

THOMAS EDISON: “The successful person makes a habit of doing what the failing person doesn’t like to do.”

WINSTON CHURCHILL: “Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.”

RALPH WALDO EMERSON: “Men succeed when they realize that their failures are the preparation for their victories.”

B.C. FORBES: “History has demonstrated that the most notable winners encountered heart breaking obstacles before they triumphed. They finally won by their defeats.”

HENRY FORD: “Failure is the opportunity to begin again, more intelligently.”

RICHARD M. NIXON: “Defeat doesn’t finish a man–quit does. A man is not finished when he’s defeated. He’s finished when he quits.”

COLIN POWELL: “There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.”

MICHAEL JORDAN: “I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life… That is why I succeed.”