Do You Learn When You Lose?
Dan Nielsen, LFACHE
Founder/CEO/Publisher/ Author/Speaker, America's Healthcare Leaders
In my last article I asked the question, “Do you seek to learn?” This week I want to ask a follow-up question: “Do you learn when you lose?”
No one likes to lose. But I think leaders especially don’t like to lose.
Try as we might to keep our egos out of our leadership, it hurts our pride when we experience failure. As leaders, we’re “supposed to” be successful. We’re “supposed to” have it all together. We’re not supposed to lose.
But we all lose sometime. Renowned author and leadership expert John Maxwell wrote about this in a blog post several years ago adapted from his book, Sometimes You Win, Sometimes You Learn. Maxwell states,
"If you're going to lose—and you are because everyone does—then why not turn it into a gain? How do you do that? By learning from it. A loss isn't totally a loss if you learn something as a result of it."
As Maxwell explains, when you experience a loss or failure, you can choose to change, grow, and learn from it. While this is much easier said than done, it is possible! And learning from your loss makes it less of a loss… and more of a win.
So how about you? Do you learn when you lose? I’d love to hear about a positive lesson you learned or change you made as a result of a loss or failure!
“If you see things the right way, losses are opportunities to change and improve.” – John Maxwell
While I was in graduate school getting my MHA, I worked weekends at a rural hospital. The hospital brought in a management consultant who interviewed me as part of his engagement. I will never forget what he told me in response to being asked how he measured success and how he had gained so much experience to be a trusted consultant. His answer: If I make the right decision more than 50% of the time, I am ahead of a lot of other people. All of my mistakes make me smarter." Later in my career, I was interviewing for a senior level job by someone who asked if I had ever made any mistakes. I laughed and responded: Yes, I have made a lot of mistakes, which is how I have come to know so much about this business. Learning and responding gracefully helps build a better person and stronger career.
Physical Therapist / Small Business Wingman / Strategic Planning Consultant - "Get your head out of that box!"
6 年I learned I don’t like to lose!
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6 年Yes!
Director of Radiation Oncology at Baptist Memorial Health Care
6 年My failures have had a far more profound impact in my life than any of my formalized education. While still at times difficult to accept when immediately faced with it, I am growing in my appreciation for what it ultimately means for me on my journey. Letting go of the destination and acknowledging the experience is the lesson I am focused on now as it remains one of my more consistent failures.