How can you build trust and credibility by sharing your failures?

Sharing failures as much as successes, is a part of a continued learning process. We ought to have different perspectives from different sources to have a 360° view.

Admitting failure is a sign of self-confidence and the quality of persistence. To hide failure is a sign of weakness and lack of self-assurance. So admitting failure brings trust, confidence and the ability to face failures courageously. These are the qualities that people seek in person to trust her/him.

I’ve learned that failure is necessary for social change. In our culture, we are taught that only things that shine are worth it. However, the hardships and climbs are what help us connect with others. Who is oblivious to failure? This simple question leads us to understand that is through those hard moments in life that we usually decide to take action, as we create empathy.

Sharing personal failures can be a powerful way to build trust and credibility, both personally and professionally but had to be done thoughtfully and authentically, as it demonstrate and individual resilience, humility, and willingness to learn.

Growing involves embracing our failures. Initially, we may deny our mistakes to ourselves. Then, we acknowledge them but fail to learn. Sharing our failures with others is a vital step, making us vulnerable yet fostering trust.

The key to sharing your failures is to identify anecdotes that have a rather positive outcome; you want to inspire with your story not discourage with fear or uncertainty. For instance, when I started hosting workshops and informative sessions, I had my share of doubts about engaging my audience. Even though I have experience of facing the camera and interviewing people. With time these doubts receded - and I decided to share my experience with my network. How did I present my story? By focusing on the positive - how I dealt with my fears and insecurities and used the opportunities to conduct an informative, engaging session! Sharing your failure creates relatability and trust - but when done in a way that inspires and not discourages!

So funny I just did a post on this! I channeled a message the other day for a client on communicating vulnerability without it being mistaken for weakness. Also, by detaching from the emotions tied to failure, we uncover invaluable lessons and opportunities waiting to be seized. Achieving emotional neutrality towards the experience makes discussing it much smoother. Moreover, this neutrality allows us to speak from a position of crystal-clear understanding, radiating our inner strength to others. It also creates a space to ask for support from a place of profound empowerment. So delicious!??

Sharing your failures can be a powerful way to build trust and credibility in personal and professional relationships. When done thoughtfully and authentically, it can demonstrate humility, transparency, and a willingness to learn from mistakes.

When done thoughtfully and constructively, sharing your failures can contribute to personal and professional growth.After sharing your failure, follow up with actions that demonstrate your commitment to growth and improvement.

Ah - how to share that "one time at band camp" in a way that connects and advises. I aim to stay on brand which for me is best characterized open and light, rather than pained face-plant. As for which failure I share (yes, I have a few) - I read the crowd and connect accordingly.

Sharing failures is a evolving journey. Initially, it may sound like complaining or a tale of regrets. With time, we learn and distill the essence, transforming it into a valuable and helpful story for the listener.

As mentioned above around weakness or power in vulnerability... It's important to share our failures with the right energy and emotion. When we communicate from a place of shame, guilt, or victimhood, it inadvertently conveys a message of disempowerment. Timing is everything. Sharing too soon, before processing and learning, can leave you appearing unprepared or overly emotional. And, oversharing can come across as needy or desperate. It's crucial to strike the right balance. Maintaining a neutrality is key. When we share our failures with a sense of detachment, we gain clarity and authority. This approach preserves our credibility and professionalism, ensuring our message resonates without diminishing our power. Failure is valuable!??

It is good to confess, but do not whine. This can be a challenge since failure can emotionally scar us and venting helps us initially. Be open and honest, and above all, be receptive of comments and even constructive criticism. You know you are communicating your failure well when others not just empathize but ask questions to get more detail and give you more time. Additionally, understand that you are not the only one who faces adversity and that they too may have "gotten off that same boat" before you. Listen to their story too. Finally, remember that we all like a good ending to the story, so conclude with how you are overcoming this hurdle in life -- that should be your new focus.

When getting in the business of candor - I am not trying to establish mine as the biggest or the most painful. I am trying to move us from the pain of the mess to lessons and take-aways of brilliant resiliency. The hope is to connect, engage and empower. I avoid getting to a woulda, shoulda, coulda and deliver insights as learnings. These are different things.

Social scientists suggest that showing some vulnerability improves your standing in other people's eyes. Don't pretend to be perfect.

Always be authentic with your share, success or failure. The right time to post will happen, it shouldn’t be forced and you’ll know when. Most importantly, move forward, try again, build your dream. A failure is a teaching moment, don’t dwell on it. If you wish to share, don’t measure it, a person that may benefit will find it.

As a teacher, I promote reading, but am often asked why I like it. One reason is that I can learn a great deal about human nature as well as success and failure. The same holds true when you listen to another's story. Successful people thirst for knowledge and understand that success can be attributed to anticipating setbacks/failure and taking advantage of opportunities. Most people share successes, but those who share their low points with you have confided their vulnerabilities -- this shows trust. These people can form a circle of partners for future open and truthful communication; it can be a challenge to find these people, so treasure them.

One of my best shared stories is about a mentor who I adored. Head to toe -she was it. And as I got closer, I began to see what about her I did not want to be or do. It was crystal clear to me - why she did and why I would not. She did not consider it her failure. I however, found it to be a miss. In this way I learned - not exactly from her failure, but via my ability to see clearly from a personal POV.

In 2020, we learned a crucial truth: community is the catalyst for growth. Like-minded souls amplify our vibes. Our closest circle reflects our essence. Surrounding ourselves with visionaries propels us forward. Cherish their lessons and create relationships: community fosters resilience and growth. Together, we rise! ??

I think sharing failures as a leader is meant to help establish with your team the value of taking risks, assessing, and learning. A culture that embraces learning from mistakes is a culture that supports innovation. But there must be discipline in the risk taking and learning cycle. In my experience, that’s the purpose of sharing failures. I think a willingness to listen to other perspectives and as a leader avoid the tendency to have all the answers…be curious and display empathy…are more important drivers of building trust and credibility. All three…empathy, curiosity, and learning…are critical to building trust and capturing the collective energy and intellect of your team to innovate and outperform.

First and foremost, an organization should provide a conducive environment for employees to share failures. An environment where employees feel bold to share failures, an environment where sharing failures is not construed as a weakness or inability to perform or an environment where employees are taught to embrace failures with the aim of learning and growing. How many times have you seen sessions being organized to disseminate best practices, successes? The answer is lot. On the contrary, how many times have you observed sessions to discuss failures? Think! We not only learn from our own failures but also from others’ failures as well.

I find this to be a clear way to establish my respect for risk as well as the value I put on resiliency. It is fair to say - that we all make mistakes, fail and fall down. What I am looking to share is how valuable taking the time to asses what happened and file away your learnings somewhere very accessible. Did I mention laugh - keep laughing while learning - these are absolutely not mutually exclusive!

Everything is energy. Relationships are energy. Businesses are energy. And our reality is the reflection of our inner world. So when we shift the energy and emotions of our inner world, our outer world will change.