Be a Leadership Loser

Winning and success comes from being a Leadership Loser!

Have you ever not started an important project or activity because you were afraid of failing?

Maybe you have experience numerous “failures” and don’t know if you can face one more. Maybe you are in a rut and stuck not sure how to pull yourself out of it.

The only thing worse than starting something and failing… is not starting something out of fear. Don’t let the fear of failing stop you. Let success, not failure, be your focus.

Here is a great example of an incredible successful individual and it is hard to believe he has missed any shots and experienced ANY failures in his life. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45mMioJ5szc]

Real Life

I have one client who truly saw no light at the end of her tunnel and was stuck. She was laid off in July of 2008 and had been diligently searching for the perfect job. Basketball-speak: She had missed many shots and lost many games. Her confidence was lost and she could not get the motivation or strength to make one more call or fill out one more application. She felt like a complete failure. So where is she now; mid-spring 2009; she just received her second job offer and is having a difficult time deciding which one to accept. How did she earn this success? She took a few steps back, “went to the free throw line” and took a timeout. She had a restart. This restart was not about looking backward and analyzing all her failures. It was about looking forward.

The rear view mirror is for reference only. You drive by looking at the windshield.” Alexis Wong

Rather than wallowing in self-pity, shame, defeat, or negativity, she sought help from qualified people. After she came for help, we assessed her strengths and passions and repositioned her approach and attitude based on what she learned from this assessment. Our goal was to help her find the perfect job that truly capitalized on her strengths in order to minimize her weaknesses. Rather than letting her fears and weaknesses motivate her, she approached the job search process coming from a position of strength with a new found confidence.

“Most people don’t aim too high and miss. They aim too low and hit.”  Bob Moawad

I realize life is not easy for many of us right now. I encourage you to really take that time out and take this opportunity to really think about what your strengths and passions are and how you can aim high and make that three pointer you will be cheering about for years to come.

What have you learned or gained by taking a risk that was a little outside your comfort zone? Are you approaching life from a position of strength or a fear of failure?

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Kristi Royse is CEO of KLR Consulting
She inspires success in leaders and teams with coaching and staff development Email | LinkedIn | Twitter | Web | Blog | Articles | Services | (650) 578-9626

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