Assembling your SUCCESS: the Parts, Pieces & Glue

When I read statements like "If you want to increase your success rate, double your failure rate" and "Want to succeed, fail first" for the first time, I squinted. Do we have the luxury to do that? But then as I dipped into my experiences and the ridiculous number of failures I've had in my life I realized that as you try to leave an impressive mark at work, a failure can bring unexpected twists and turns. How you deal with failure is what will ultimately help you succeed and I have half a lifetime to look back and nod to that!

As I reminisced, I realized that what could have made my experiences better and successes faster was if I'd asked myself the question: are you smart enough to learn from your mistakes? Now, let me try to break this down into parts & pieces as best as I can and with some glue & assembly instructions to build it back:

Part #1: Identifying & Defining failure at work

While there's no standard definition of failure at work, you know it's happening to you if you can associate with any of the following examples at your workplace:

• Piece #1: Skipping timelines constantly

If you get the stick from your supervisor or lead repeatedly for not finishing tasks on time, you seriously need to consider a course in time management.

If you have taken on too much workload and set yourself an unrealistic time-frame, you may have just set yourself up for failure.

Glue: Trust your instincts. When you feel bothered, speak up. It may take some guts initially, but it will save you face later. In case you miss the chance, request for a private meeting with the lead/supervisor to explain your feelings about a short notice to meet a tight deadline.

• Piece #2: Squabbling with supervisors/colleagues/peers

In this age of teamwork, conflicts with people and petty fights with your teammates/supervisors definitely get labeled as failure.

Glue: Find common ground and never take sides in case of a conflict. If you are involving your supervisor, tell him/her how the conflicts within the team affect your productivity and morale - that way, you will not sound like a whiny complainer.

• Piece #3: Failing commitments consistently

Your customer's (external or internal) deliverable is not ready or has not been delivered. It's a massive service failure and you have no clue how to salvage the relationship.

Glue: Be honest with your customer and tell them you will do whatever it takes to fix the issue. Never hide behind policies or procedures (I know my teams - old & current - are having a fit now!) but always tie up what you did as prescribed. Exigencies do exist but beware that they don't become the rule

Understand that clients & stakeholders are still human and will appreciate your honest effort. The next time they give you business or work or take you in their team, surprise them with super fast delivery to gain the credibility back. But wait for it!

• Piece #4: "Reigning" excuses

Constant excuses can label you as undependable; you could be considered overly defensive and resistant. You may be strong otherwise; however, if you're always covering up your shortcomings with excuses, your negative reputation will make you succumb to failure.

Glue: Face the facts and stop procrastinating. Take other people's help to get things done. If you still fail, apologize and fix the issue without hiding behind fictitious explanations. If your lead/supervisor says the report was late, you can choose to ignore but it does not become any less true.

• Piece #5: Fretting too much about a failure

You creative pursuits got the better of you and you spent the company's money/time designing & developing a framework/tool so way ahead of it is time that nobody can figure out how to use it. While you were expecting laurels for your creativity, your lead/supervisor asks you to justify the investment (of time & effort which could have been used otherwise).

Glue: Acknowledge the failure but don't apologize; risk-taking is a skill required to succeed. Tell your colleagues you know one more way of 'How not to do it'. Analyze what went wrong and crack it the next time around.

Part #2: Calling a 'time out'

The problem with many us is that we aim for a flawless career from the moment we enter the workforce. We have high aspirations and want to be seen as credible professionals with a 100 percent track record of success. We don't realize that nobody made it big without failing a few times and the ones who succeed are the ones who bounce back from their failures.

Glue: Take time out to think about what's going wrong with your strategies. Don't be in a rush to get into the disaster recovery mode. Take a small break.

Bonus Glue: Try learning a new skill (anything goes - programming to cooking to sewing to carpentry, you get the drift) or develop a hobby to help you ease your mind and focus. The objective is to take your mind off work for a little bit so you can think about workplace challenges from a new perspective.

Part #3: Failure Analysis

There could be several reasons but, if you get to the bare bones, there are two factors that stand out:

• Piece #1: Being direction-less

This is a no-brainer. You need to have the focus & aptitude for the work you are doing (sorry, duh!). If you don’t find out quickly enough that you're in the wrong direction, you tend burn out quickly and get tired of your job, which leads to more failures.

Big Hint: being in the wrong direction is still OK, but not knowing which direction you were going is a disaster. Watch out!

• Piece #2: Being irresponsible

Maybe you failed because of your own sloppy work or careless attitude, or you just did not spend enough time understanding what you were doing or you made some hasty decisions or misunderstood your job profile.

Big Hint: I find it very easy to critique myself (alone, of course!) but very difficult to accept my critique. Acceptance is key. Master it!

If these happen to be the reason/s, you need to listen, accept the facts and shape up for the job.

Part #4: Taking action

Workplace failures are a part of life but, if dealt with well, can turn out to be life changing events. Here are some smart strategies to repair your workplace failures and mistakes:

• Assembly Instruction #1: Own it!

Taking ownership for your mishap is the first and the most important step. Blaming others rather than yourself for the new idea/product/tool/framework nobody seems to be buying will create tension at the workplace and spoil your working relationship with others as well. You are much better off focusing on the actual sense of the issue and what went wrong.

• Assembly Instruction #2: Don't make it all about YOU

Criticism of your work does not mean your colleagues/customers are targeting you as an individual. If you goofed up during an important presentation, it doesn't make you a bad employee nor does it negate your prior accomplishments.

• Assembly Instruction #3: Take your failure apart - to learn from it!

So what if your idea bombed? You should use this to your advantage in preparation for your next big project/task. Analyze what went wrong or could have been altered. Maybe you could have done some more research, or could have tested your idea before you went public or perhaps taken the advice of some senior members of the team.

Treat work life like a game of chess. One bad move does not mean it's the end of the game. If you take a grip of the situation, you'll always get the opportunity to strike back.

• Assembly Instruction #4: Make positive relationships

Have people on whom you can bank in good as well as bad times. Take their advice. Ask them for feedback on your ideas and let them play the devil's advocate. In an already competitive world, any help you can get should be welcomed. Don't run the solo race.

• Assembly Instruction #5: Don't wear your emotions on your sleeve

You are bound to feel frustrated and upset when you miss an important deadline that impacts a client, teammate or stakeholder, but don't blow it by making it all public.

The angry young man/woman title will not get you any rewards at the office. Maintain your dignity and be quick with your apology in order to salvage your reputation.

Last & Final Part: No one ever died to live again; keep living & trying!

'No guts, no glory' is a cliché worth repeating.

Failure can be one of the best teachers & guides you can ever get; the best part is it doesn't have to be your own mistake in order for you to learn from it. As surely a very successful person said, 'Recovering from failure is often easier than building from success.'

Even if you fall flat on your face, you can always use the valuable lesson you learnt on your way to the top.

Until next week, folks. Hope you had fun identifying, gluing & assembling as much as I had writing it!

#COOL #positivity #lockdowndiaries #staysafe #stayhealthy