The Power of Asking "What Could Go Right?"

Atychiphobia – you may know it as “the fear of failure.” Whether it’s about doing well in school, keeping up appearances with friends and family, or succeeding in our careers, it’s little wonder that we, as a society, worry about failing. In fact, recent research shows that perfectionism (i.e., the compulsion to avoid failure) is only increasing with each generation. But does it have to be that way?

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On my podcast Deep Purpose , I spoke with a guest who’s learned to flip the script on this kind of performance-driven anxiety: “My brain often goes to what could go wrong[,] but I also think it's important to ask ourselves, ‘What could go right if I do this?’”

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Helena Foulkes is a businesswoman-turned-politician who, by all accounts, is a success story. Born and raised in a political family, Helena attended Harvard twice – graduating once for her bachelor’s degree in 1986 and again for her MBA in 1992. She then spent 25 years at CVS Health, eventually rising to the helm of the company’s retail division. In 2018, she was named CEO of Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC), the oldest corporation in North America. Having led HBC through a turnaround, Foulkes has more recently set her sights on running for political office in her home state of Rhode Island.

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Foulkes’ resume reads like someone who has never needed to worry about failing. Our conversation, however, revealed to me a person who had in fact grappled with the prospect of failure on numerous occasions.

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In 2014, when Foulkes was poised to become president of CVS Health’s retail division, she and her colleagues pushed to remove tobacco products from CVS pharmacies: “We were pitching ourselves as a healthcare company… and [we] would say, ‘Well, how do cigarettes fit into that?” That said, giving up tobacco would cost CVS Health billions in revenue – a decision that, if it went poorly, could irreversibly damage Foulkes’ career.

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As she recounted to me, “They [thought], ‘Oh my gosh, do we have to walk away from $2 billion in sales to prove that we have a purpose [as a healthcare company]?” But instead of fixating on the potential losses, Foulkes saw the potential for a new CVS to emerge: “Why do we exist as a company? What impact do we have in the planet? Why do people come to work [here] every day?”

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Ultimately, CVS Health eliminated tobacco products from its pharmacies in 2014, and it remains the only national pharmacy to have done so. Foulkes described the “sense of pride” that the decision instilled in the organization: “We had 25,000 pharmacists working for us at the time…. Now, for all of them and us to be working for a company which had made such a bold move… encouraged [us] to say, ‘Wow, we did that. What else should we do? How can we tackle what [others] are unwilling to do?’… It really inspired the people who were there.” And not only did the decision boost internal morale at CVS, but subsequent studies suggest that, however much the company had lost financially, customers gained in improved health outcomes.

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In 2021, Foulkes took another big risk – running for governor of Rhode Island. She recalled how she felt after resolving to step down as CEO of Hudson’s Bay Company: “I got a bunch of phone calls from people encouraging me to stay who said, "You should really think about this. We could do better, we need you." It gave me a big, giant pit in my stomach, which is mostly fear. But there was also a little piece of excitement.” That excitement, she told me, was the prospect of “making Rhode Island a better place.”

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Over the course of the following two years, Foulkes prepared to take her shot: forming a campaign team, fundraising for her candidacy, and hitting the campaign trail. On September 13th, 2022, election day finally arrived – only for Foulkes to come in a close second by only 3 thousand votes, behind incumbent Dan McKee.

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Surprisingly (or perhaps not), Foulkes was unfazed by her loss: “I would do it all over again. I was a better person for the experience… I think I built up a muscle that allowed me to trust in myself and trust that I was doing it for the right reason.” To Foulkes, building the courage to even run for governor meant “a lifetime of making smaller acts of courage and finding out that things work out, even when they don't.”

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Throughout our conversation , I was struck by how Foulkes not only overcame failure – but learned to embrace it. In the end, I asked Foulkes what advice she might give for others searching for their courage: “Be open to possibilities…[Courage] is redefining what failure looks like and asking yourself not only what could go wrong – but what could go right?”

An adapted version of this newsletter first appeared on Inc.com