Fail Better, Faster

Fail Better, Faster

As I look back on the year that’s just gone by I can see it clearly now. The progress. The setbacks. The moments I would rather forget. I’ve been there done it and got the t-shirt more times than I care to admit. What I’ve learned is this. Failure is not the enemy. Avoiding it is.

For a long time I treated failure as proof that I wasn’t good enough or that I’d taken a wrong turn. Each stumble felt heavy and personal. The truth is those moments shaped me far more than the easy wins ever did. Every tough conversation that didn’t land. Every decision that backfired. Every time I pushed too hard or not hard enough. They were uncomfortable lessons but they were necessary ones.

Failure has a bad reputation. We talk about it in hushed tones or dress it up as something else. In leadership especially there’s pressure to appear confident and capable at all times. But real leadership doesn’t come from getting it right every time. It comes from being willing to stretch experiment and learn in public view.

What matters isn’t the fall. It’s the recovery. How quickly you reflect regroup and move forward with intention. Coaching played a huge role for me here. It helped me slow down enough to see the lesson instead of the label. To replace self blame with curiosity. To ask better questions about what happened and what I’d do differently next time.

Failure doesn’t mean you’re not cut out for leadership. It means you care enough to try. It means you’re building experience the hard way. Over time those failures became building blocks. They sharpened my judgement strengthened my resilience and deepened my empathy for others navigating their own challenges.

The leaders I admire most aren’t the ones with spotless track records. They’re the ones who fail better and faster. They take the lesson and keep moving. They don’t let one misstep define them or derail their momentum.

If you’re reflecting on your own year and feeling weighed down by what didn’t work know this. You’re not behind. You’re learning. With the right support failure can become fuel rather than a full stop.

If you’re ready to turn your setbacks into momentum let’s talk.

#Leadership #Coaching #Failure #Growth

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