Matthew Richter posts daily comments in LinkedIn—well, almost daily. You can follow him and join the conversation by going to http://linkedin.com/in/matthew-richter-0738b84.
For the benefit of our readers, we decide to compile and reprint some of his provocative pieces from the past. Let us know what you think.
This article is a compilation of several Linked In posts on Failure.
The Impact of Failure
How much failure affects us is determined by four general factors*. But each one of these general factors when totaled together, equals the magnitude a failure can have. Think of it as a formula.
The difficulty or challenge level of the activity leading up to the failure: In many ways this factor is about ego. If a task is super easy and we fail, we often feel worse about that failure than if the task is super difficult. Meaning the harder a task is to complete the more we can expect to fail and accept that. Matt’s friend, Harold Zagunis, is a super tennis player. The few times he played him, he expected to lose. His failure to even score a point was funny and not a reflection of Matt since he had no expectation to perform well. In fact, the lowered expectations made the experience more fun for him (probably boring for Harold) in that he was just focused on the act of playing rather than winning or losing. The conception of failing was shifted by those expectations. Alternatively, a simple task he nonetheless cannot not do, or do wrong, or make a careless mistake while doing, can weigh on him due to the higher expectations he has. In other words, how difficult an activity is will level set expectations which in turn affects how he will perceive failure if and when that happens.
The consequences of the failure given your goal: Playing a game like tennis has little or no consequences to Matt since he is not an avid hobbyist or a professional player. So, losing to Harold, failing to even perform well at the game, is no big deal. There are literally no consequences for losing. Matt can move on with no impact to his life. But, if a different failure has consequences like losing/winning something (a job, a promotion, a prize, a partner, a child, a pet, etc.), then the effect of failing can certainly increase in magnitude. Consequences, implications, and significance can add meaning to a failure, making it more painful and its impacts longer in duration. Another example of this is a failed investment of time or money which can lead to significant loss or opportunity cost.
How much you actually care about those consequences: The meaning attributed to those consequences cements the ultimate effect a failure may have. You may have lost a job due to a failure, but that is ok if you have another one lined up. Or, losing the job may mean months of job searching and lost income. Or, even with a good job lined up, the blow to the ego is such that the failure to keep the original job can still hurt. Or using the investment example, if you have an abundance of time and money, the relative significance is much less than if you invested the same amount but had little in reserve. How much one cares about the consequences of a failure regardless of their objective magnitude factors in quite a bit.
Risk Tolerance: Finally, we all have differing levels of how much risk we can tolerate. A risk is a potential problem that if and when it develops into a problem, can have varying levels of impact. Those with a higher tolerance for risk will tend to expect the failures to be more blip-like along the way and integrate them more into the journey. Those with less tolerance will tend to perceive the failure as more problematic. In other words, those with greater tolerance are more likely to engage in activities more likely to fail. They know and accept (or even embrace) the possibility. Our friend, Rick Jacobs used the example of social awkwardness. Those more risk averse, will struggle more engaging and risking awkward situations because of the fear of rejection. Alternatively, a socially awkward person more tolerant, will dive into situations regardless of the potential issues.
(* Originally, the formula consisted of three factors. Our friend, Rick Jacobs identified quite accurately, the need for a fourth (Risk Tolerance). Thanks, Rick!)
Why Failure Happens
Here are seven reasons why failure can happen.
Mistake: A mistake occurs when we screw up a task or activity even though we have the capability and the capacity to succeed at it. Some mistakes are careless, some are logical errors, some are due to external factors, but nonetheless, humans err. When we make a mistake, they can have consequences that lead us to fail.
2. Acts of God: Sometimes stuff just happens out of our control. Lightning hits our plant right before a big production day with a crucial deadline. An expensive and critical machine breaks down before a client deliverable damaging the relationship. Sure, we can manage risks, but we often don't have the resources to mitigate all of them and we hope we get by. We play the probabilities. But when bad stuff happens out of our control, it can lead to failure.
3. Intentional Failure: Sometimes we intentionally fail in order to explore what may happen. We use failure to test out hypotheses. We try out paths we anticipate may fail to be sure they do and triangulate around a correct pathway. Failing provides more data and a better picture. It aids learning and mitigates our tendency to just assume what we think should happen is the right answer. Failure is essential to good critical thinking.
4. Communication Issues: We often can fail when we don’t know what is expected of us or have clear goals. Or, we can fail when the rules, policies, regulations, or processes are unknown and we are nonetheless required to proceed forward. We can even fail if the operating standards, values, and general principles for what we are doing are in conflict with those around us. All of these factors are reconciled via good communication. So, bad communication can lead to failure.
5. Skill-Driven (Or, Lack Thereof) Failure: Sometimes we just don’t have the knowledge and skill to succeed at something. We try and we fail because we are incapable. In learning situations, these kinds of failures can be illustrative of what a student may need to learn. Or, these failures can be feedback. In other contexts, incompetence can cause more frustrating or even catastrophic failures.
6. Capacity-Driven Failure: Alternatively, we may have the knowledge and skill to succeed at a task, but we lack the time, the tools, or other resources to get the job done.
7. Motivational Gaps: Finally, sometimes the purpose and meaning of a task don’t matter to us. And if the more intrinsic reasons for doing an activity are missing and the now-requisite incentives to complete the task are weak or non-existent, the drive to move forward will be missing. Failure is likely.
I am sure there are other causes of failure, but these are the ones initially forefront of mind. Tomorrow's post will explore how our attitude- or mindset- can affect our own reactions to failure mitigating the impacts to failure discussed in yesterday's post.
Reacting to Failure
We have defined failure, explored the causes of failure, and the impact failure may have on a person. Now, we will dive into how one may react to failure.
This one is tricky. There are multiple factors that influence one's response. First, let’s explore the actual reaction. Your reaction to a failure is really going to depend on your mindset toward it. Your mindset helps determine your resiliency, your ability to cope, and the level of subsequent stress a failure may place on you. Your mindset even facilitates how you define a failure within your own context. It’s what may allow you to perceive a failure as merely a step along a journey, or it leads you to view a failure as something utterly catastrophic and you shut down. Or, anywhere in between.
In other words, how you approach a failure attitudinally is critical to how you get past it. If you view failure, no matter how small it is, as always catastrophic and a commentary on your very humanity, you will struggle to be resilient. However, if you view failure as a learning opportunity, a pip on a longer journey, or simply an experience, you are more likely to rebound and process forward. Your attitude and the way you conceive of a lack of success is critical. There are many resources out there on mindset. In our humble opinion, go to the source and read Carol Dweck’s book, Mindset.
Factors that affect your mindset with regard to failure are:
Frequency: How often you fail can have an effect on your mindset and your resilience. And it isn't a never fail- always fail continuum, either. A person who never has set-backs may struggle to know how to overcome. While a person who rarely succeeds may become overly frustrated and beaten down. And there is no absolute number, either. We all have our tipping points which may change over time, as well.
The Context. The people around you, the circumstances, and other external factors will all influence your specific attitude toward a failure. This is also where systemic factors that influence why a failure occurred can have an impact, as well. Processes and procedures that are undermining can often affect your mindset over time. If they are supportive, they can influence your mindset.
Of course, You are a major factor determining your own mindset. Your personality, your socio-economic background, your parents and how they raised you, and many more individual factors shape who you are from a very young age and influence how you approach the world around you.
And of course, many other influencers of your mindset are present. They key take-away is that your attitude plays a large part in how you react to failure. And it isn’t so simple as saying “change your attitude.” Many of those influencers have been at play for years. You certainly can make changes to how you experience failure, but it isn’t as simple as simply saying you want to do so.