Move fast and break things. Fortune favors the brave. Fail fast, fail often. Fail fast, learn faster. No matter which mantra your organization subscribes to, there is evidence of a growing acceptance of failures. That is, on the part of companies. However, it is an entirely different matter at the personal level, especially for employees. Effective leaders help their employees embrace the fear of failure.
Most people I know hate to fail. It is embarrassing, causes a loss of confidence, and damages your reputation. In addition, failing at work or making a mistake erodes trust and reduces your credibility. Further, our career journeys have become highly competitive. Failing at something could mean losing a bonus, a promotion, and even your job. As a result, the fear of failure is intense and debilitating.
Why do the actions of leaders often shame employees who make mistakes?
Despite words of wisdom hanging on the wall, most leaders hate to fail. But unfortunately, the bad ones go so far as to shame to ostracize employees for making mistakes.
Our fear of failure is formed during our childhood years. When we first start playing with others, we want inclusion so badly. We quickly learn that when we are successful at an activity, the reward is inclusion and status. Failure, on the other hand, brings exclusion and vulnerability. Anyone who got picked last for the random dodgeball teams knows what I mean.
Additionally remember being back in school. Getting the correct answer brought praise and pleasure. In contrast, the wrong answer brought scolding from the teacher, disappointment, contempt, and mockery from peers. And so, the fear of failure is cemented in our minds because getting it right brought happiness, mistakes brought unhappiness. As a result, leaders fear failure.
Why Effective Leaders Help Employees Embrace Their Fear of Failure
By embracing failure, leaders encourage growing and learning. However, when employees make mistakes and the leader chastises them, they don’t learn from their mistakes. Instead, they learn to cover them up or avoid them altogether. Here are reasons why leaders should encourage employees to embrace their fear of failure.
Failure is the best teacher
Trying and failing at something creates productive motions. When the employee’s focus isn’t on perfection but on trying multiple attempts at a task, they gain real-world insights. They operationalize and create best practices. Therefore, effective leaders reframe failure as learning exercises.
Failure is a great motivator
When employees focus on avoiding making mistakes, they become complacent. As a result, they rely on past successes as indicators of future success. But competition is right around the corner. Employees who don’t feel safe making mistakes won’t try new things. They refuse to engage in anything except safe and straightforward activities. Effective leaders embrace employees who make mistakes because it increases motivation and persistence.
Familiarity with failure cures the fear
So many people struggle with fear of failure. Fear of mistakes stops them from changing jobs and prevents them from speaking up. The fear of failure is a progress inhibitor we all face. It stops us from doing new things and asking for what we have earned. However, once failure is faced or mistakes are made, we survive. The outcome is rarely as bad as we make it in our heads. Effective leaders embrace and encourage employees to make mistakes because it helps them push past the fear and try new things.
Failure and making mistakes help us evaluate
When we fail at an activity or continue making mistakes, it forces us to evaluate if it is worth pursuing. If we determine it is, we find solutions to overcome and make it successful. We develop creative solutions to keep the activity progressing. Effective leaders identify when employees struggle with a new failure and create a safe space to continue making mistakes. They give them time, knowledge, and resources to help them develop creative solutions to their failure.
This Liberty Mutual Insurance commercial is a great reminder that employees are human. They are fallible and will make mistakes. For that reason, effective leaders embrace employees when they make mistakes because it helps them learn and grow.
The next time an employee takes a risk and puts themself out there but fails, celebrate them and their effort. Help them identify the learning lessons and help them apply those lessons to future attempts. Effective leaders embrace employees after failure because it encourages them to keep trying.
Last updated on August 27th, 2022 at 07:35 am
