Let’s talk about failure

Failure is often talked about in past tense. Meaning, the person has already experienced failure, processed it and learned from it. Hindsight however overlooks a very important aspect of failure, the fact that it sucks.
​
We don’t talk much about going through failure, how it impacts us negatively and clouds our outlook on life. Rather we reminisce on it, speak of its benefits, sometimes with nostalgia, and paint, again in hindsight, a picture that is to an extent rosy. Yes, important lessons are learned from failure but to the one experiencing it, talking about how things will be much better in the success that will supposedly follow can come across as tone deaf.

We need to get comfortable discussing failure in the present tense. The raw emotions that come with it, the darkness that hangs over the one experiencing it and the sense of hopelessness that often time accompanies it. That, in my opinion, is an essential skill for leaders to develop as they help others navigate and eventually achieve their own personal success.