Been There Done That....and Failed.

Most capable leaders already know this: failure teaches better than success. If you’re pushing hard enough, it tends to show up every couple of years. What’s interesting to me is how hard it is to get people to talk about it. People are comfortable sharing wins. They’re far less comfortable dissecting what didn’t work. I’ve found myself speaking more often about failed business decisions than successful ones, not because failure is interesting for its own sake, but because it’s useful.

We’re not rewarded for effort. We’re rewarded for results and for learning how to avoid the patterns that lead to bad outcomes. Humility, self-awareness, and the confidence to talk openly about failure is valuable. Anyone can talk about capabilities, philosophies, and the wins. Frankly, this platform is littered with it. I've thrown a few cans out the window myself and there will be more....because yes, we do some cool things. Still, it takes more courage to unpack mistakes and turn them into something helpful for others.

One of my coaching clients has strong growth and a compelling vision. It's time to hire a #2, and the wrong leadership decision will most certainly kill that vision before it ever comes to life. This client values my bad hire stories and those of my team, and will benefit from all of it. In today’s market, having a waitlist is a gift. You can take the right deals and walk away from the wrong ones. Sometimes accepting half the fees for twice the impact is still the right choice. Long-term value will outweigh short-term revenue and impact every time, especially as we age and define value beyond earnings. I do love earnings though, a lot.

The laptop in the photo? It's a nod to the days when decisions were about hairspray and leg warmers and not livelihoods, and to the many Gen Xers now out there running companies. And no, I’m not posting this on a Tuesday at 10am to maximize reach. I’m posting it in the early hours of Saturday morning, when many leaders are awake, staring at the ceiling, wondering what the hell to do next with their business. 

Which brings me to this: I’m looking for one executive who’s willing to come to a roundtable in January (virtual) and talk candidly about a business they led that failed. If that’s you, message me directly. Obviously I only need one, but maybe I'll write a book of stories I hear from all the others who respond. At a minimum, I'd like to speak to each of you, even if it takes me 2 years to do it.

If you’ve been there, done that, and failed—you’re learning. And if you’re willing to talk about it, you’re leading.