Make Room to Fail

?There are two questions I get asked a lot.? One, why have I stayed at rbb Communications for so long? Two, can you tell me one of the big mistakes you made along the way?

The first is easy – people, challenge and opportunity.? It’s my trifecta and sums up all the reasons I have spent more than 30 years at this award-winning agency. If I had to do it all over again, I’d make the same choice.

I used to think the second was a more complicated answer, but as my years of wisdom have evolved, I see it as quite simple – I was comfortable with failure.

I thought my actions had cost the Marlins, former rbb client, the World Series back in 2003.? In my determination to be prepared for any media contingency, I failed to respect the level of superstition around the game…and my client noticed. After the game 6 win against the Yankees, I breathed a sigh of relief, grateful it didn’t go to game 7.? While this experience gave me many sleepless nights, and clearly still haunts me, it also shifted my approach to building relationships with my clients and my teammates. ?I started listening more, which made me a better counselor.

The fear of failure is on my mind today because I had an entry level candidate decline to take our writing test.? She eliminated herself from consideration, feeling she did not have enough experience to pass.?

We constantly need to make room for failure—for others and, more importantly, for ourselves. We need to be okay with failing.? If you don’t want to take my word for it, ask Richard Branson, Simone Biles or Steven Spielberg.? They all worked through rejection and challenge, and they all have made the world a better place because of it.

Failure is when we learn the most and how we keep moving forward toward success. It doesn’t mean you won’t be afraid. It doesn’t mean you won’t have sleepless nights.? But it does mean you value progress over giving up.

So back to this candidate…I convinced her to give it a shot. Definitely progress and a brave step forward for her.?? Room to fail also means room to grow.

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