Learning from Failure

Failure is a harsh word, but a reality that must sometimes be faced. Failure can be the result of doing nothing, or trying and falling short of the mark. It can be painful and humiliating, but we can also learn valuable lessons through our efforts, even if they are unsuccessful.

In order to profit from failure, don't ignore it or wallow in it. Look it fully in the face and evaluate what happened, from beginning to end. Conduct your own post-mortem, even if an official one takes place as part of wrap-up of a project. Yours can be more self-centric (and less politically charged!).

Include these retrospective questions as part of your evaluation:

• Did I start out with unrealistic expectations in terms of goals and objectives?
• When did I first suspect that things weren't unfolding as planned?
• Did I ignore any signs of impending trouble I should have recognized?
• Did I make changes to try to get things back on track?
• Did I ask for help when I needed it?
• Did I properly consider advice or recommendations from others?
• Did I articulate my concerns to project management?
• Did I document and make plans to mitigate risk?
• Could I have avoided failure through more personal effort?
• Was I a contributor to failure in an identifiable way?
• Did my team fail to do their part?
• Could my team have worked together more effectively?
• Was there anything I could have done differently to achieve success for the project?
• What do I know in hindsight that would I do differently next time?
• What specific new learnings can I take away from this experience?

Failure is part of success. Accept it, take your share of the responsibility (if warranted), add a virtual battle ribbon to your business suit, catalogue your learnings, and update your resume with your new experience. Now take a deep breath and move on - a wiser person.