Failure-Tolerant Leadership for
Writers and Others
By
Jeanne Dininni
Writing
and Business: A Common Goal
As writers, we all share one ultimate goal: Whether we freelance, provide copy
for our employers, donate our writing services to churches or other non-profits,
share our hearts and/or insights through our blogs, or simply write for our own
enjoyment, our dream is to be successful in our chosen area of endeavor. And,
though each of us defines success in our own personal way, there's little
question that our ultimate destination-- at least our psychological one--
is the same: to experience the sense of accomplishment that comes from knowing
that we have succeeded in meeting our life goals. In this sense, our personal
and/or business-related objectives are not very different from those of any
business organization, and therefore, our means of achieving them will also be
very much the same.
In the world of business, there are a number of very basic principles which,
when correctly understood and applied, can arm employers and managers with the
tools they need to create an environment that is conducive to employee success.
At least one of these principles applies every bit as much to the individual
entrepreneur-- including the freelance writer-- who seeks to succeed in making
his or her dreams a reality.
Failure-Tolerant Leadership: The Principle
This principle is called failure-tolerant leadership, and while generally
applied (as mentioned above) only to those individuals who are in positions of
authority within an organization, this valuable concept can be easily adapted to
the endeavors of each of us as individuals.
Failure Is Only a Temporary Setback
Failure-tolerant leadership is the ability of an employer or manager to accept
failure as nothing more than a temporary setback on the journey to eventual
success. In the viewpoint of such a leader, present failure not only can,
but when properly handled and used as a guide to future strategy, likely will
become the very catalyst that will fuel future success.
Failure Should Be Viewed as an Opportunity
Failure-tolerant leaders not only have a knack for seeing the potential
good that can come of failure, but they also possess the uncanny ability to
convey their own optimistic, success-oriented vision to others. Rather than
seeing and projecting the negative side of failure, as most people tend to do,
they recognize that with every failure comes a corresponding opportunity-- an
opportunity to take the insights gleaned through failure and use them to forge
an entirely new strategy for successfully reaching either the original or a
newly modified goal.
Every Attempt at Success Involves Risk
Failure-tolerant leaders recognize that whenever a momentous task is undertaken,
there will always be a tremendous risk for failure. This potential for coming up
short of the mark simply goes hand-in-hand with any attempt to reach it, and the
failure-tolerant leader knows this. This is one reason why the failure-tolerant
leader does not engage in personal criticism when an employee fails to meet a
goal, but rather utilizes both objective review of the strategy used and
balanced evaluation of where the plan may have gone off track and why.
Personal Criticism Is Counterproductive
Failure-tolerant leaders realize that personal attacks on employees for their
errors, shortcomings, inexperience, lapses in judgment, or unwise decisions are
counterproductive and only tend to guarantee that the pattern of failure will
repeat itself in the future, as the employee becomes even more wary of taking
risks. The failure-tolerant leader, instead, projects to the employee the sense
that they are both working together to find a solution to a shared problem-- one
which both of them have an equal stake in.
Positive, Proactive Collaboration Creates Confidence
In this way, the failure-tolerant leader invigorates his or her staff,
infusing them with the confidence they need to go out and give it one more try,
to be bold enough to think the situation through, explore new avenues, develop a
superior strategy, and take another carefully calculated risk.
Failure Tolerance Equals Permission to Try Again
In short, failure-tolerant leaders encourage their employees to adopt an
attitude of daring-- to dare to dream, to plan, to hope, to work toward a goal,
and perhaps most importantly, to believe in their own ability to achieve it-- if
not this time, then maybe the next.
Failure-Tolerant Leadership and Freelance Writing: The Application
How does this translate into helpful advice for us as writers? Freelance
writers-- and any number of other individuals who are working toward a goal of
any kind-- can adopt the foregoing concepts, applying them to their own
situation with incredibly positive results. How? Read on.
1. Determine to Become a Failure-Tolerant Self-Leader/Manager
Convince yourself, to your own satisfaction, that this principle is a valuable
weapon in your self-improvement and writing success arsenal. Then, once
convinced, determine to use it as a catalyst to positive change in your
own situation.
2. Recognize that Failing at Something Doesn't Make You a Failure
We are all human, we all make mistakes, and no matter how much we may hate to
admit it, none of us is right 100% of the time! If failing at something at any
given time made us failures, guess what every single one of us would be?
3. View Every Failure as an Opportunity
Failure gives us the chance to pause, take stock of ourselves and our situation,
learn from our mistakes, gain wisdom, insight, and valuable experience, and grow
in ways we never could have otherwise.
4. Give Yourself a Break
Don't beat yourself up over your shortcomings. The best leaders in any field
recognize their very human weaknesses and past failures, accept them, and move
on. (This does not mean they are complacent or that they do not seek
self-improvement, however.) The cream of the crop among leaders actually admit
their past-- and present-- mistakes to others, as well as to
themselves , providing others with a valuable opportunity to learn from
their example.
5. Be Objective
Analyze the causes of the temporary setbacks you encounter in reaching your
goals. Figure out exactly where things went off track and why, and incorporate
that knowledge into building a new, superior strategy for future success. But
recognize that, just as a house is built one brick at a time, so it is with your
success. And, unless you are among the greatest of artisans and working under
absolutely ideal conditions, your project will likely require regular doses of
trial and error.
6. Never Give Up!
If you do, you'll never know how close you may have come to phenomenal success!
This article was previously
published on the Writer's Notes blog, July 30, 2007:
http://www.writersnotes.net/failuretolerant-leadership-for-writers-and-others/
Jeanne
Dininni is a freelance writer whose works currently
appear in numerous different venues, both in print and online. She also authors
the
Writer's Notes weblog, through which she
offers information, inspiration, encouragement, and resources to her fellow
writers to help them succeed in their craft.
