Tag: Failure

Learning From Failure

Is it possible for failure to provide benefit or value when developing leaders?

Winston Churchill is credited with saying “success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”

No one wants to fail, yet it is necessary to help grow our leadership in ways that benefit the good of God’s kingdom.

While no one desires failure, or looks for it in order to benefit, knowing that failure can and will occur helps prepare us with an expectation that when it happens we can approach it from a posture of learning its value.

Don’t Stop

Ultra-distance runner, Scott Jurek, suggests we must be dedicated to our goal if we hope to stay motivated and prevent the desire to stop.

Dr. Richard Bandler said, “Failure means you’ve stopped. So don’t stop. Keep at it. The more you move in the right direction towards success, the better you’ll feel. Every day work on making new positive habits second nature — make them automatic.”

When we dedicate our life to the Lord and pursue the goal with diligence, we will remember the purpose for which we seek success.

Nothing is more worthy of our time and effort. Don’t stop!

A Destination Worth Reaching

How will we know when we reach the destination? The answer requires considerable thought.

To begin with, “Where are we headed?”

Our destination is based on the priorities that govern our lives, physically or spiritually.

Consider a few tips to guide us in the right direction.

First, remember there is more to life than food, clothing, and housing.
Second, we are easily blinded by only what we know empirically.
Third, time is a commodity we cannot afford to waste on the journey.

A few moments to answer the question based on these three thoughts can save a lifetime of frustration and failure.

Refuse to Give Up

Numerous people speak about persistence, perseverance, and the stick-to-itive mindset connected to success.

The ability to never quit, even in the face of challenge, difficulty, or hardship is rare and needed in the home, world, and church.

My oldest son says, “It’s amazing what happens when you REFUSE to give up. Failure eventually gives up on you.”

Of all people, leaders must possess that quality of grit that eliminates the possibility of failure.

Developing a fighting spirit in face of adversity will strengthen our leadership and encourage others to address their own challenges with the same vim and vigor.

Don’t Quit

Success and failure are subjective terms. How we define and determine success or failure depends largely on our perspective.

Dr. Richard Bandler helps with this perspective by saying, “Failure means you’ve stopped. So don’t stop. Keep at it. The more you move in the right direction towards success, the better you’ll feel. Every day work on making new positive habits second nature — make them automatic.”

While it is not complicated, leaders will go far by learning that success is based on this simple principle – Don’t Quit!

The Power of Memory

Memory is one of the most powerful qualities of the brain as designed by God.

Memory also opens the portholes of our minds to reminisce about the events and decisions of life.

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 is ahead.

Overcoming Challenges…

Internal and external challenges face every leader, which can cause them to question their ability, opportunity, position, and purpose in leadership.

Confidence in one’s ability diminishes when leaders experience failure, suffer discouragement, or when they are harshly criticized by others.

Remember that failure only exists when we give up.

Learn how to overcome discouragement with self-evaluation.

Instead of “reacting” to criticism, “act” with an appropriate response.

While these are limited ideas, overcoming the challenges is possible. Seek to walk the right path.

The Value of a Leader’s Time…

How do we use the time God gives us? 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 learn to follow these ideas, their leadership will abound in blessings far beyond what could be further expressed.

The Challenge of Choice…

The issue of choice plagues us. Walk down the isle of any store and consider the choices available on a product of your choosing. At times, it becomes overwhelming to determine exactly what is needed.

A study of leadership reveals the challenge of choices. The choices made by leaders make the difference in success or failure, so what choice(s) should be made?

Sadly, many choices are made by trial and error. Only after the results of the choice are seen do we make additional choices toward an appropriate direction.

Nothing is more significant than leading others to make a choice about their eternal destiny.

A Question for Leaders…

How did we get here? We tend to ask this when…

…compromise results in consequences greater than expected.
…plans result in failure.
…chaos emerges within an organization.
…we are unprepared for tragedy.

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

Perhaps we need to ask, “What will we do now?”

The journey that brought us here is important, but it is more important to know what we do from this point.

As spiritual leaders, we must guide those who find themselves in difficult circumstances to a better place of hope.