So, what did I do??? Did I embrace it, hide it or ignore it?
I ignored it.
Just kidding, that would have been a pretty lame story (although it would have been shorter to write).
I decided to suck it up and take failure as feedback. Easier said than done. I don’t know about you, but talking about my personal failures is hard and I don’t like doing it. However, I embraced my new-found role as the driver of the struggle bus. I emailed the group, admitted that I led the meeting poorly and provided them with a revised path going forward. What came next really surprised me. This e-mail actually helped to change my frustration and embarrassment into motivation. I could freely talk about the failure and figure out the reasons things went south. I don’t have all the answers to why ending up on the struggle bus happened. I am confident that the team will be in a better position to start talking about it now that it is out in the open though. We also have a better chance of being successful in the future.
So my advice to you is the same advice I gave myself: ask the tough questions and ask for feedback about the things you are leading. Also, call it like you see it. If it is going great — awesome. If it is a struggle bus — call it a struggle bus. I think it will help you to engage the team and make changes that will help all of you be more successful in the future.
Embracing your failures is leading the Interstates Way!!! And here’s another Paul Harvey quote to wrap things up, “And that…is the rest of the story. Good Day.”
Continue Leading the Interstates Way!
Scott Peterson
