How To Fail In Times Of Change

A recent article in the USA Today had a number of practical tips about how to fail in times of change. Although the article was created for entrepreneurs, the advice is good for any individual or organization seeking better results in times of change. Some of the tips included:

• Fail fast. Develop ideas quickly and then get them out the door. Facebook and Google have specific plans to try new things quickly.
• Fail forward. Fail in a way that moves you or your company into new products or services.
• Fail smart. Failure is useful only if you are learning something from it.
• Fail cheap. Launch the smallest viable version of what you need to get the job done.
• Fail with integrity. People who worked with you this time will most likely be willing to work with you again if they believe you are person who can be trusted.

 Using these tips won't keep you from failing, but it can help ensure that any failure is a step in the right direction toward making the change a reality.

You can read the entire article by clicking here.

Change And The Fear Of Failure

The power of the phrase, "I told you so" can not be overstated. It's been known to prevent many, many people from moving forward in a time of change. We live in fear that someone will utter the phrase to us when we are unsuccessful. Even more likely is that we will utter the phrase to ourself-over and over again-even before we have the final results from the change. As Zig Ziglar so famously penned many years ago, We are born to win, but conditioned to fail.

To help minimize your fear of failure when you are faced with change, consider these ideas:

• Connect (either by reading or actual conversation) with people who have achieved some level of success. You will find that they often failed more than they succeeded.
• Surround yourself with people who will support your efforts, but also will be honest with you. Spending time around other people who reinforce your fear of failure is not healthy. BUT spending time with individuals who have an overly optimistic opinion of your endeavor is not the best course of action either. Build relationships with people who can help you realistically evaluate where you are, and what your next steps should be.
• Learn from your failures-and move on. What did you learn in the process that you can apply in your next steps. One of my favorite quotes is by Oswald Avery: Whenever you fall, pick something up.

Lastly, find strength in the fact that you were willing to try. You have just set yourself apart from many, many people around you.