Failing is about Winning
What is winning? Have you taken time to contemplate this question and to look deeply into the aspects that made winning a goal and also an achievement? If we consider winning the achievement of goals then we must consider what lies beyond. On the failing side of the coin we recognize the emotional remorse we have that we did not achieve what we set out to accomplish. Looking about for solace we find lots of advise and quotes that are well intentioned attempts to boost our emotions.
As a company much our efforts are spent in sustaining or building strength, often achieved through precise unbiased and impartial clarity of conditions, options, sanity for goals and the doability to achieve outcomes. Our dedicated commitment to processing global events and precipitating conditions fills the gap for companies who do not have resources committed to this level of attention. But we also bring to bear our own journey of creating, building, adapting and achieving results both in success and also in failing. Yes, we have failed to win and in doing so have achieved more than we lost. Our ambitions have ranged from ideas without flight, to operations curtailed as a result of low return on investment (ROI) performance. These are not failures unless we look at it solely on the basis of one-try goal achievement.
How do failures become winning? In the classical context of discussions on this topic many would say the gain is about learning from the experience. A true statement but one that raises the question of whether you need to fail in order to learn or should you have learned to endure? Over the course of time we have formally and informally met with a variety of businesses and industries to discuss goals. As is often the case great enthusiasm and hopes built around these goals. Blinded by winning no consideration has been given to failure, the pre-emptive indicators of, nor the level in which a tap out would take place. In seeing this time and again it’s a bit like knowing there is a cliff ahead and instead of making course alterations we accelerate. The resulting demise produces carnage that has no hope for residual recovery. It is equally important to have plans for failing as it is for winning. Keeping that possibility clearly in our line of sight compels consideration now that accepting the failure later.
Success and failing goes beyond a ‘to do’ list of things to carryout, it’s more the case of a ‘list of ideas’. To do lists are driven by tasks to be performed in a specific timeframe. Once items are completed they disappear from sight, unless of course they contribute to failing later on. Yet a list of ideas is our living repository, a source for navigating, reinventing and driving ahead. Most organizations chose to react in a piecemeal fashion as perceived opportunities arise. Sometimes during budgetary planning, a response to events or a directive from leadership (and they get these compulsions from various source stimuli). This approach works but the fluidity of response becomes erratic spurts and lulls. Reducing self-inflicted failure relies on a healthy and vibrant environment of focused opportunities that come from our ideas.
We aren’t perfect and or immune from failure. There were times in which we curtailed certain sector because of lower than expected performance (yet were still producing positive ROI). Resources could be better spent in high yielding activities or invested in areas where emerging potential appeared to be happening. In other instances the idea never took full flight, staying safely in the exploratory stage. If measured against goals, yes; but if measured against managed control of outcomes the answer is clearly no. These ideas that bore little fruit are now manifested in other ways,
- Disposal of various intellectual property assets,
- Continued value generation from intellectual properties,
- Remaining idea residency, and
- Changes in market deployment.
Mankind has a way of looking at things in terms of black and white, success and failure when the key objective is durable survival. Not the sterile definition of resilience (an ability to survive disruptive change) but rather the maintenance of healthy viability. For small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) and startups this is a challenge because capitalization (cash) is often in short demand. Aside from this situation the more fatal trait is containing enthusiasm in favor of a focus on market conversion. Unless this occurs the chances of success are greatly reduced. Numerous studies have shown that in the first five years 70%+ fail, in the next five years an additional 50% of the remaining will also fail. As is often the case, the lack of diversification and inability to convert markets cause failures greater than cash. But let’s talk about the large and established businesses and why they fail. With size we add complexity, dogmatic tradition, structural inflexibility and conflicting ideals. In many respect a dysfunctional child that has been left to become a far more dangerous unstable adult. Because of funds the large enterprise is more prone to investing in hope via solutions, often failing because of the inability to transition and adopt. This is a dominant conclusion and not one that is absolutely pervasive. There are companies that change, usually the result of dire conditions, that are able to successful turn things about. There are others that are beyond help in the context of a pivot, but still have radical choices that can be made to reaffirm a firm basis to continue forward. All things considered there is no consensus on the reasons for large company failures. Some argue that,
- Capitalization and Cash
- Ignoring of disruptions and favoring customer focus
- Enterprise social chaos
- Leadership
- Diversification
- Unbridled expansion….
all of which are possible and continue to be reasons happening at this very moment. So if failing is a means of learning then why are we continuing to see failures? As a business we get inquiries from unhealthy patients and not rarely get clients that simply want a health checkup. Especially today with limited resources enterprises are diverting attention to sustainment, even though that health is essential to sustainability and prudent use of resources. Most recently I received an inquiry from a Board of Director member concerning a management stability problem. The person went on to explain about conversations that had taken place about the CEO desire to leave, replacement alternatives, recent strategic and tactical errors that had been made and of course the present pandemic effect. Our leading question was why did they wait until now? The silence was momentary but finally broken by ‘it has only become concerning enough’. We can empathize with this situation but also we become concerned that quick answers are desired for very complex situations. Likewise, the establish level of engagement, decision, choices and solution risk existing needs prospect acknowledgement. Conditions such as this are becoming more common, they are the black holes caused by chaotic disruption. Wrong moves must be avoided, one-size fits all solutions rejected, and rapid expert attention be given. Uncertainties must be limited, active engaged communications must occur, trust must be earned and truth is essential. There is no longer room for political posturing and glitzy bantering, this is high risk all in conditions.
We abhor failure, we relish success but in and of itself is a contraction. Once success is achieved the hard work really starts. Sustained success and position is a challenge and can lead to efforts that detract from the means by which success was achieved. It’s important to not become distracted and to maintain a healthy viably durable success perspective. Success always exists even in the face of what appears to be failures. To avoid catastrophic demise one must vigilant in the use of resources, including the versatility found in the repository of thinking that exists. A company is a living organism that requires care, grooming, feeding and responsible direction in order to achieve success regardless of events.
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Clarity Group Global is an intellectual decision validation institution dedicated to the support of leaders, companies and organizations that face challenging choices. Making right decisions that produce significant value equates to less disruption and chaos, "non-tradition made exceptional".