A Blog about Leadership

For a leader, this is critical: when you get knocked down or otherwise lose your standing, get back up and try again.

Leadership quote from John Wanamaker:
“No mistake or failure is as bad as to stop and not try again.”

One of the most important differentiators between leaders and those who do not lead is the response to set-backs, or, what others call, failures.

1. Learn from the experience.

The entire point of “experience” is that you gain knowledge, wisdom, and understanding from it. Employers often measure prospective employees on their experience – what thr have done. The experience demonstrates, that since you have done, are capable of doing again, and capable of doing better.

2. Share what you learn from the experience.

A lot about leadership is sharing your knowledge and experience; otherwise known as mentoring. Your experience and, more specifically, how you grow from your experience, define you. Sharing your experience provides a conduit to influence others. One of the strongest ways to influence others is through what you learn from your experiences.

3. Write and codify how you would keep from failing if you were able to do it again.

Do not spend a lot of time in contemplation about the past, because it is not wise to dwell on history and keep from moving toward the future. However, if you don’t learn from history, you will repeat it. One of the simplest and most powerful methods to learn from your experience is to write out how you would deal with it if you were to repeat it. The act of writing it out places the lesson in your mind for when you encounter a situation or problem that is similar to it. Your writing becomes a plan for dealing with those situations.

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