Greg Hartnett

I love to fail. Let that sink in for a second.

While most people enjoy activities or projects that they can complete successfully, I enjoy diving into tasks with a high probability of failure. Do I enjoy wasting my time? Very few things in life are done properly the first time, so it is only through trying, failing, and learning that we can have any chance of success. Through failure, we learn how to succeed.

By building off of your failures, you position yourself for success on future endeavors. The lessons taught through the experience should enable you identify further opportunities. Additionally, it will give you the chance to see how your peers cope with the difficulties of failing. Do they have tantrums, or cave in to their frustrations? Lash out and point the finger? Or do they take the failure in stride, take accountability (if applicable), and move on?

Equally important is identifying and accepting the failure as early as possible. Don’t be afraid to look at a project, and call it a loser. As business leaders, we are bound to strike-out upon occasion. Accepting your failure, and adapting accordingly, is the mark of a successful project leader.

The key is to not get emotionally attached, or let your pride get in the way of accepting that the project failed. It’s like buying stock - regardless of how much research you do, eventually you are bound to buy a loser. The successful investor, like the successful leader, identifies the losers quickly, and allocates resources accordingly.

So, don’t be afraid to fail. Bite off a project that everybody else if afraid to touch, and throw your soul into it. You just may surprise yourself.