Fatal Failure ??: 5 mindsets that are dead ends

September 7, 1940 was the first night of 57 consecutive nights the Nazi’s bombed London. 57 nights in a row, the air raid sirens went off and destruction reigned down on London. Many assumed that England would surrender under that unimaginable pressure. And it is under those circumstances that Winston Churchill said, ‘failure is not fatal…’ I think many of us would agree with the prime minister’s sentiments. However, I also believe that we can introduce ourselves to fatal failures if we are not careful. This is not succumbing to external pressures, rather it is the result of flawed internal mindsets. These flawed mindsets don’t lead us anywhere, and they leave us nowhere. Here are 5 flawed mindsets that lead to fatal failures.

CHOOSING THE PATH OF LEAST RESISTANCE is a fatal failure. Instead, we should be seeking out what is best practice and submitting ourselves to it. Best practice is often challenging, uncomfortable, and inconvenient. This is why it is often ‘least practiced.’

OBLIVIOUSLY TRYING TO PROVE YOUR OWN GENIUS is a fatal failure. It is the Information Age, which mean anyone has access to any information. It also means that no one holds a monopoly on information. The historic quote, ‘every person is my teacher because every person knows something I do not.’, is more true than ever. Listen for the genius that is all around you and take note of it. Literally, make a habit of writing down the genius you are hearing from the people all around you.

AVOIDING SITUATIONS WHERE YOU KNOW VERY LITTLE is a fatal failure. Have you ever sensed yourself dodging opportunities to learn and grow because you ‘don’t know anything about that?’ If one of these opportunities comes your way, jump into it! Stoke the fires of your curiosity by admitting you know very little, asking great questions, and taking notes on the answers.

NEVER REFLECTING ON WHEN YOU WERE WRONG is a fatal failure. Ryan Hawk, author of ‘The Pursuit of Excellence’ , encourages leaders to ask themselves, ‘when was the last time I was wrong’, and to ask themselves often. If you are moving towards growth, there will be regular growing pains which often display themselves as being wrong. Being wrong is not fatal, but never thinking about when you were wrong could be.

SEEKING CREDIT RATHER THAN GIVING CREDIT is a fatal failure. It has been often quoted that, ‘a candle does not lose its own light by lighting another candle.’ A leader that is pursuing their own growth hunts opportunities to celebrate others’ contributions along the way. Your path towards growth should be littered with celebrations of others. Does your path have evidence of growth or of fatal failure?

HERE ARE FIVE FATAL FAILURES that we all fall prey to sometimes, but we should all be actively fighting against. 1 - Choosing the path of least resistance. 2 - Obliviously trying to prove your own genius. 3 - Avoiding situations where you know very little. 4 - Never reflecting on when you were wrong. 5 - Seeking credit rather than giving credit. Lead on, friends!