How can you discuss past failures in a way that highlights your leadership skills?

In the realm of leadership, vulnerability is often seen as a weakness, but it holds immense power in fostering trust, inspiring growth, and cultivating resilience. Social researcher Brené Brown highlights vulnerability, empathy, and courage for effective leadership. Leaders who share their experiences with failure demonstrate transparency and build trust. They connect with others on a deeper level, fostering a culture where mistakes are seen as opportunities for growth. When leaders link their failures to leadership skill development, they acknowledge their shortcomings and showcase their commitment to continuous improvement. Embracing vulnerability and learning from failures are signs of effective leadership.

Failure is a deeply human trait, because without it we wouldn't get better at things, we would petrify and stagnate. Beware of 'perfect people' and those who will not tolerate failure, they are anti-human, usually destined to live in short-termism, devoted to an ideology of blame, shame, and personal gain. In my experience, every success has been through a bunch of failures, but what made it a success was not giving up, keeping your faith in people, developing them, helping them. Failure is just the first step. If you don't believe me, ask the successful (not the entitled), they have failed more than anyone else, because they wouldn't stop trying.

"In the journey of leadership, failures are the stepping stones that illuminate the path to growth and resilience." - Anonymous 3 questions to ask on this: How can you frame your past failures as valuable learning experiences that have contributed to your leadership development and decision-making skills? In what ways can you discuss specific instances where you faced challenges, took ownership of mistakes, and implemented corrective actions, showcasing your ability to lead through adversity? How does emphasizing the positive outcomes or lessons learned from failures convey your capacity for reflection, adaptability, and continuous improvement as a leader?

I love this question. I actually wrote a blog post about this on my leadership blog. The title of it is "Failure Is Like Mouthwash". In short, mouthwash has a very distinct purpose and way to use it. We put it in our mouth, swish it around to help kill bacteria and improve our breath. But, we do not swallow it, we spit it out. Why? Because it can be harmful to our bodies. So it is with failure, we need to learn how to use it for personal development and learning but we must know when to spit it out and move on. Learning how to use failure as a teaching tool can be one of the greatest skills one can develop. I know personally, I have been able to help many students of all ages find strength from my failures.

Leading with an "I statement" is a vulnerable, yet powerful way to demonstrate self-awareness and accountability, as well as recognizing Intent vs Impact.

Talk about how you fostered a culture of learning within your team or organization. Discuss how you encouraged team members to take risks, learn from their failures, and share their experiences with others. This creates an environment where failure is seen as a stepping stone to success, rather than something to be feared.

Maintaining a growth mindset allows you to look back with a preparation that avoids repeat challenges. Knowing the flags that led to the most recent failure allows growth to replace negativity and move forward.

Everyone faces failure in their life. The art lies in our ability to take accountability for this failure, reflect on what went wrong, and deriving lessons for improvement. This process then is not called failure anymore; it’s called learning which is a stepping stone towards success.

Fail Forward. Was this failure your last chapter, or was it your turning point? Highlight the new path this failure sent you down. How did you respect the failure and learn from it in a transformational way? I can think of countless examples of failure that I learned from as a first year teacher - and even more examples in my first year as a campus administrator. Failure is a guarantee in this life, it's what we choose to do with it (and how we chose to interpret it) that ultimately dictates the outcome. "Fail early, fail often, but always fail forward" - John Maxwell.

Acknowledging the expected fallibility of our human-ness demonstrates your ability to be humble, while also understanding that failures and missteps are a natural part of the human experience. It’s how we grow, learn, and hone our discernment skills. Failing forward in growth as opposed to failure as an excuse to give up, give in, or resign ourselves.

The failure became a defining chapter in my leadership journey, emphasizing that resilience isn't just about weathering storms; it's about emerging from them more robust and better equipped for future challenges. Subsequent successes in my career are rooted in the resilience developed during that pivotal moment, reinforcing my belief that setbacks are not roadblocks but opportunities to showcase our capacity to endure, adapt, and ultimately thrive

While vulnerability is a great attitude, accepting and talking about failure is heavy risk-taking in professional settings with or without the likelihood of like-minded people around us. Yet, we must embrace and learn from failures, because that is the only way! Resilience, thus, goes beyond embracing and discussing failures. The questions are - What have I learnt from this failure? What strengths helped me and what limitations did I uncover? Most importantly, we must be open to implement and share - how did I apply these learning and reflections from a failure in another situation?

Resilience is defined as the capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties. Failures, mistakes, poor decisions, etc. are the processes by which the difficult lessons are learned. As a leader, we cannot afford to not face the "hard places". It's the capacity to withstand those hard places/lessons we are able to move forward purposefully, productively, and profitably. Ask the question, what am I learning or what do I need to learn?

Actually, failure is the impetus to resilience. When you experience a failure, work through it, learn from it and come out stronger and wiser as a leader, you realize your strength. As a leader, as you develop this more (failures will always happen) you become resilient. In my personal experience, early failures in my leadership journey gave me the confidence to know that I would overcome them and gave me tools to see potential failures in advance. Lastly, I learned to lean on my team and trusted colleagues before issues became a true issue.

I was once hired as a State Department of Education Administrator. The job required me to work with someone with whom there was no camaraderie. I felt my contributions to my job were being stifled. I tried everything to make my relationship with this colleague enhance our efforts, to no avail. A proposal, yes, I wrote a comprehensive proposal to our employer outlining how working independently would be a better approach and allow each of us to work more effectively. Indeed, I was about to resign if this contract-binding assignment continued. To my surprise, it was approved thereby allowing my skills to flourish. Sometimes changing a contract allows you to make more significant contributions to your organization. It worked for me!

People who fail their driving test the first time are better drivers when they reach the freeway. I have performed better at interview, after learning from the first round of rejection. I've learned more from losing sports matches than I ever have from winning them. Obama said: I never lose, I either win or I learn.

Failures test the authenticity of your goals. The goal usually has excellent worth if the pursuit remains in the face of a letdown. Aligning failure and goals is how grit rises to the surface.

In my previous role as a team leader, I experienced a setback when a major project didn't meet its deadline due to miscommunication within the team. However, I took immediate action to address the issue by conducting a thorough analysis of what went wrong and identifying the key areas for improvement. I then implemented a new communication strategy that included regular team meetings, clear task delegation, and open channels for feedback. As a result, subsequent projects were executed more smoothly, and our team's collaboration and productivity significantly improved. This experience taught me the importance of effective leadership and the ability to learn from past failures to drive positive change.

Align your failure with your goals as an educational leader to demonstrate a clear vision and passion for your field. Explain how the setback refined your objectives, fostering greater determination and enthusiasm in pursuing your aspirations. This alignment not only showcases your strategic thinking but also highlights your resilience in steering setbacks toward constructive growth.

Muchas veces me han cerrado puertas, he recibido NOs, pero cada día me conozco más y soy consciente del impacto que quiero y puedo lograr. Confiar en mi instinto y en lo que me apasiona es el mejor impulsador para reconocer mis fracasos y dar un paso más hacia mi sue?o.

I truly believe that self-reflection and authenticity are key to understanding and communicating the impact of "lessons learned" with others. Using an "I statement" demonstrates accountability. Being honest about steps you're taking to prevent the situation from happening again in the future, goes a long way towards rebuilding trust and credibility.

Showing empathy to yourself is also important. Being able to show that you view failure as an opportunity for growth and positive change rather than a negative character flaw is valuable.

Me encanta redefinir el fracaso... cambiar la forma en la que lo comunicamos y siempre preguntarnos: ?Cómo podría solucionarlo?

In an age of instant gratification and where narcissistic tendencies are the norm, empathy has become the quintessential skill that can save humanity. This may sound a little melodramatic, but hear me out. Empathy requires the outward reflection of everything and everyone that is not related to you. The focus is not on your failure, but on the negative experience imposed on your teammates they did not have control over. You may genuinely regret your mistake- because it first embarrasses YOU, makes YOU look or feel incompetent, and then puts YOUR credibility at risk. After this thought process is said and done, you reach your teammates' subjective perspectives/concerns. Empathy is the innate ability to put ourselves in others' shoes quickly.

Demonstrate empathy by illustrating how you supported those affected by the failure or facing similar challenges. This showcases high emotional intelligence and a collaborative spirit, essential for educational leadership. Express appreciation for received feedback, guidance, or assistance, highlighting how you reciprocated by offering help or mentorship. This empathetic approach reinforces your commitment to fostering a supportive and collaborative environment within the educational community.

One of the greatest gifts one can receive at work is clear, actionable feedback. Far too often, people managers are hesitant to provide constructive feedback - particularly to historically marginalized employees - which can lead to a plateau in performance and reduced job satisfaction. A call to action for all people managers - ask yourself, "Am I providing clear, actionable feedback to all members of my team, equitably? If not, why not?"

Ask for feedback from the interviewer on how you could have handled the situation better, demonstrating openness to constructive criticism and a commitment to continuous learning—traits crucial for educational leadership. Seize this opportunity to pose thoughtful questions that showcase your genuine interest and curiosity in the role, organization, or field, further emphasizing your proactive and inquisitive approach.

Feedbacks saved me in my first semester of teaching. I knew I wasn’t connecting well with my students during the first few weeks of teaching and if that continued, they wouldn’t get the most of the class. I introduced an anonymous feedback system that completely changed everything. I must admit some of the feedbacks were both harsh and hard to accept but being aware of them and the bravery to make the needed changes completely changed the class environment and experience both for me and my students

Constructive feedback, which is especially provided by someone who is aware of your process in professional development or performance, is one of the most valuable portions of failure's contribution to our careers. It is important to spot our aim to get feedback and the purpose of the other party, so that we can get the maximum effect from that feedback as well as how reliable it is. It is important to spot the aim of other party and fully trust that person's perspective since the feedback which is received from that individual may not be taken seriously. Moreover, it is important to underscore our own purpose to integrate that feedback to the certain areas that we need to use in our career.

I have found it useful to re-frame endeavours with multiple outcomes involving others. When I put myself out there against competition, I recognise that I can control how I perform, but not the rest of the context or environment. I can’t control my opponent in sports. I can’t control other candidates in interviews. I can’t control the myriad of external influences in attempts at change in organisations. This is just the universe being the universe (Doctor Who, or Seneca, said that, I think). What I can control is me; if I put myself there the best I can, with the knowledge I have at the time (forget hindsight), I can’t fail. I have done what I intended to do. I may not win, get the job or transform the organisation, but I haven’t failed.

When discussing past failures, I provide specific examples and highlight the learning opportunities I gained from them. I approach failures as valuable chances to learn and grow, which ultimately enhances my leadership skills. By acknowledging failures as important learning experiences, I have developed greater resilience and a more solution-oriented leadership approach. This mindset has enabled me to effectively turn challenges into opportunities for growth and inspire my team to succeed.

When discussing my own failures, I frame them as valuable learning experiences and opportunities for personal and leadership growth. I take full responsibility for my actions and decisions, avoiding any blame on others. I then explain my response to the failure, outlining the steps I took and how I communicated with my team or stakeholders. I also emphasize my problem-solving skills in analyzing the failure, identifying root causes, and developing strategies for improvement. Through these experiences, I've learned to adapt and evolve my leadership style, fostering personal growth and resilience in challenging situations.

In my humble opinion, I think failure(s) are part and parcel of all initiatives and we all go through them whether we are leaders or not.There is no single person who can say that they have always been successful at what they did.Therefore, failures are our learnings (invaluable at that) and it's important to look at them from that perspective.

These days companies are looking for leaders that can create culture impact than culture fit. Your stories will be similar to everyone else’s stories. To stand out, highlight your personal values (such as accountability/integrity, passion for learning/ innovation) and how your values are connected to the prospective company’s purpose, mission and values. Help the interviewers see what’s possible when they bring you on as a future leader who can help shape a high-performing culture. They know you are a great leader already or you wouldn’t be in that seat. What makes you different is to help them imagine what’s possible under your leadership, not just a problem-solver, but also a culture shaper.