In the last week I’ve heard two very different and equally interesting perspectives on failing.

I’ve shared with you before that I don’t like to fail, and I know I’m not alone. But I also realise the control freakery or lack of risk taking resulting from wanting things to always be right, does hold back creativity.

At the Women in Business expo Baroness Karren Brady said that everyone she knows has experienced ‘temporary defeat or failure’. Whilst failure seems like an end state, temporary defeat has movement to it.

To me, saying (inside my head) that I’m experiencing ‘temporary defeat’ is more palatable than ‘I’ve failed’. It’s short term. I can easily move on and succeed.

Karren also shared that she doesn’t really hear the word ‘no’. That word just triggers her to think ‘aha, I’ll need to find another way around this’, and then she does.

That’s another type of failure that feels temporary and fluid. Because we’ll simply move on and find the right solution.

Added to this is Gabby Bernstein’s view on failure - I’m currently reading her latest book. She says ‘I’ve learned to see rejection as a form of protection. I trust that when something doesn’t work out the way I planned it’s because there’s something far greater in store for me’.

How’s that for a rock solid mindset? Imagine losing out on a house you’d made an offer on - it’s because there’s a better house waiting for you. Didn’t get the job offer- it’s because there’s a better one coming your way.

These successful business leaders have helped my perspective on failure this week, so I hope this insight serves you too.

How can you use this yourself and with your team to create a more innovative and safe environment where people are prepared to test new ideas? I’d love to hear what you do.

P.S.

When something goes wrong you can either:

1) Celebrate it - something better is coming your way or

2) Consider it temporary. Both approaches bounce you back into positive forward looking momentum to crack on.