Tag: Failure

The Gift of Today

Frank Bucaro said, “This is the beginning of a new day. I have been given this day to use as I will. I will use it for good, because I am exchanging a day of my life for it. When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever, leaving in its place something that I have traded for it. I want it to be gain and not loss; good and not evil; success and not failure; in order that I shall rejoice in the price that I paid for it.”


If leaders followed this thought, their leadership would abound in blessings far beyond what could be said in this post.

The Unknown

How often do we think about our potential, then step back from achieving it because we fear the unknown?

Esmeralda Santiago asks the question, “How can you know what you are capable of if you don’t embrace the unknown?”

Several variables play into the unknown. We develop scenarios, usually focused on the negative or that create a defeatist mindset.

What can we do to face the unknown and enjoy the possibilities?

1. Remember, reaching our potential requires a level of risk.
2. Even if we fail, failure is not fatal.
3. Start small and gradually venture into additional unknown areas.

Just taking a a step or two can move us in the right direction.

Reminiscing

Indulging in an enjoyable recollection of past events is where reminiscing begins.

The significance of this idea is to recognize the value of reflecting on the positive events accomplished.

Leaders who are able to reminisce about past events that build upon achievement, victories over trials or failures, and the strength of morale will motivate others to find something deep inside that drives who they are and where they want to go.

The power of reminiscing makes the difference between being consumed with regret over past mistakes and the elation of knowing something better awaits us.

Express Confidence

Imagine what happens when people believe in themselves. Imagine what happens when leadership promotes this thought.

Sam Walton said, “Outstanding leaders go out of their way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves, it’s amazing what they can accomplish.”

Develop others in ways that creates this kind of environment.

Express confidence. A word of encouragement helps others accomplish great work.

Give responsibility. Give responsibility and allow them the opportunity to achieve the task.

Handle failure appropriately. Help people learn from it, evaluate, pick up, and move forward.

Express confidence. Begin and end with telling others how much you believe in them.

Failure

Let me share a statement that grabbed my attention: “Remember that failure is an event, not a person.” Zig Ziglar

How many times have you thought or heard someone refer to themselves as a failure. Because they did not succeed at a specific task, they did not see the event as a failure, but themselves.

Sadly, we tend to carry this mentality over to the way we view other people. When others do not live up to “our” expectations or desires, we see them as a failure.

Quality leaders learn from the events (failures) in life and build their own character, or the character of someone else, to ultimately succeed.

Learning from the Past

Numerous challenges exist when we consider the past. We cannot change the past, and we cannot go back and relive it, so why dwell on the events of it?

We have heard the thought expressed, “if we do not learn from the past, we are doomed to repeat it.” We must allow the past to provide us with a tool by which we learn.

Leaders at every level should closely examine the past and evaluate what can be learned from both the good and bad, successes and failures.

Ultimately, the result should produce a plan for how to move ahead.

Success

The bottom line does not always give an accurate assessment of success or failure.

When we gauge success strictly by the numbers we miss how God works to achieve His will. To God, success is found when husbands love their wives as Christ loved the church, when wives submit to their husbands as to the Lord, when children obey their parents, and when fathers train their children up in the Lord.

Success is found in the moral and ethical behavior of Christians in the world.

When Christians feed on the word of God, mature in their faith, and the pattern of leadership is followed, God sees success.

Planning for Success

We’ve all heard that “those who fail to plan, plan to fail.”

Success and quality are the results of intentionality and planning with a dedication to persevere.

When a plan is in place, foresight has already formulated direction for those unexpected or untimely challenges.

This does not mean we will never have to deal with challenges, but if we negotiate a plan before we are in them, we know better how to handle those times.

Leading requires a plan. This is more significant when the spiritual application is connected. Whatever time is given to develop a good plan, it will produce success and quality.

The Choice

The issue of choice relates to every area of life. Walk down the isle of any store and consider the choices available on any product. At times, it becomes overwhelming to determine exactly what is needed.

A study of leadership highlights the challenge of making choices. The choices made by leaders can make the difference in success or failure?

Sadly, many choices are made by trial and error. Only after the results of the choice are seen can another decision be made concerning the appropriate direction to take.

Nothing is more significant than leading others to make the choice about Jesus.

What Now?

How did we get here? This is a common question asked when…

…principles have been compromised and the consequences are greater than expected.

…plans are not implemented and the impending results end in failure.

…guidelines are not recognized and chaos emerges.

…tragedy strikes and no steps were taken to prepare for it.

When we find ourselves at a place we did not intend, desire, or plan for, we wonder “how did I get here?”

Knowing how we get where we are is the not the question we should ask.

The question we need to ask and answer is, “What are we going to do now to move forward?”