Debunking "Fail fast, fail often"

Have you ever been skeptical of the increasingly common advice about failure? It's not that you don't understand the benefits, it's your anxiety about how others will react.

In a competitive environment like corporate America, you have to balance the benefits of what you learn from failure with the risks of being punished for your failures.

What I've learned from over 20 years working for and with top companies is that failure doesn't operate in the same way for all people. Before you rush off to fully embrace failure, it's important to understand this distinction.

KEY PRINCIPLE

Why does failure work differently for different people? It's not because of who you are. It's because how you are treated is different depending on who you are. Specifically, are you someone who is expected to succeed?

To put it bluntly, in most of corporate America, your failures are more likely to be supported, forgiven, or seen as acts of daring if you are a straight, white male. Go ahead and add bonus points if you are tall, have a full head of hair, or are handsome.

However, if you are not in that privileged group, you are more likely to be doubted, punished, and damaged by your failure. This is the source of your skepticism.

The solution is not to try to become someone else, which is undesirable and impossible, but to figure out how to receive the same response that your white, male counterparts are getting.

Only then will "fail fast, fail often" will have the same value for you. Till then, feeling the pressure to be perfect, work harder, be smarter, and to never let them see you sweat - these are all rational and necessary survival skills.

THE THRIVE GUIDE

If you're interested in exploring 7 strategies needed to thrive in an environment where your success is still considered an anomaly, find out more here.

If you have any questions, happy to set up a brief chat to discuss. Find me at joe@connectioncounselor.com.