When Is a Failure A Failure

by Andrea Goeglein

I must say I have been asking myself a lot lately, “When is a failure, a failure?”

The headlines in the news have caused me to pause more than once (actually more than once an hour lately).  There seems to be a lot of maligning of failure in the news.  As someone who developed her career focused on success and who wrote a dissertation on the moral development of CEO’s, understanding the impact of business failure has been an integral part of my life, my work and my field of study.

Here is where I come out.

Business failure is not the problem.  How you behave when you fail is the problem.

How do you treat people involved in the failed business?  How do you learn and grow?  How do you take responsibility?  Do you blame others for the failure?

This infographic from OnLineMBAToday is an excellent representation of some who have failed. Each person went on to create new and different things or ideas that changed the world we live in.  As you review, think through what you know about ‘how they behaved’ when they failed?

Failure
Source: OnlineMBAToday.com

Dr. Success Challenge:  Raise the level of your conversations about business failure.  Do not make the business failing the problem.  Learn from how the business person behaved when they failed.  Vision what your life would look like if you behaved the same way.  Are you proud of yourself in that vision?

Be well, be brave, be a positive force for business.  Andrea

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About the author

Andrea Goeglein is part organizational psychologist, part entrepreneur, and all about success—your success. She understands both the pressures you face and the dreams that inspire you. Andrea merges her experience as a business owner with her training in Positive Psychology to provide effective, efficient and challenging personal development products and services. She combines an emphasis on objective assessment with an approach that is always powered by your spirit and guided by your goals. Her professional development offerings are based in theory and backed by direct business knowledge.

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1 Response
  1. […] And so began the Yogatsu®  March 2016 newsletter.  I have known the author, Alice Percy Strauss since moving to Las Vegas in 1997.  The timing of the arrival of her newsletter could not have been better.  I had just been informed that my application to speak at TEDxUNLV had not been accepted.  I was surprised, but not shocked since the event was less than 4 weeks away and I had not heard that I was selected.  For personal reasons and others, I felt the topic of Disappointment was an excellent topic to follow my blog on Failure. […]

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