The Art of Failure: Why Failing is Essential for Business Operations Success

Somewhere in grade school, most of us learned to associate the word “failure” with that icy feeling in the pit of the stomach – not something we want to repeat on a regular basis. So we avoid failure at all costs. But in doing this, we actually limit ourselves and our potential for growth, in life generally, and especially in achieving our business goals. Many of the world's most successful entrepreneurs, artists, and inventors failed numerous times before they hit their big break. We learn a lot from failure – so much so that it is often the first step toward achieving our goals. Here are 6 skills we can learn from failing that are essential for business operations success.

Failure skill #1: We learn to embrace a growth mindset.

Failure is a terrifyingly final word. What if we reframed it as simply growing pains? dr carol dweck does just this in the concept of “growth mindset” which she coined while studying child behavioral psychology. Her findings extend to the business world where she found that employees of companies that foster a growth mindset perform better on a number of metrics including empowerment, commitment, collaboration, and innovation.

In a nutshell, a growth mindset is the belief that talent develops over time through continuing effort. This is in contrast to a fixed mindset, where people believe that their talents are innate abilities unchangeable from birth. When viewed through the lens of growth, failure becomes just a natural step in the process of learning how to operate a business more effectively.

Failure skill #2: We learn to improve our processes – fast.

It takes some trial and error to find what workflows and operating models work best for your business. While it may be tempting to try to construct the perfect system before launching, the reality is you won’t know your pain points until you’ve at least done a test run. The faster you get to this stage, the faster you can iterate on your design. The term “ iterative process ” has filtered into business management from the tech world, where the goal is to deliver a usable, “good enough” application as quickly as possible, and then keep updating and improving it while it’s already live.

If software engineers waited until they had the perfect product, they’d never deliver. There is always improvement to be made. Embracing the imperfect solution while you work toward a better one allows you to get your product out there faster.

Failure skill #3: We learn resilience, or better yet "prosilience."

Dr. Sam Collins, an executive coach and global expert on women-led businesses, describes resilience as “the ability to keep going and bounce back quickly.” We develop resilience through exposure to whatever it is we find difficult to tolerate. Through exposure to failure, we develop a tolerance for it so that we can pick ourselves up and dust ourselves off more quickly each time. Building on the concept of resilience, a newer term, prosilience , captures how it is possible to not only bounce back but bounce back stronger and better after each challenge. Framed as an opportunity for prosilience, a temporary setback could actually serve as the next big leap for your company’s growth.

Failure Skill #4: We learn how to find strategic support.

Failure puts a spotlight on the gaps in our knowledge, experience, or resources. While this can feel unsettling (especially to those of us unlearning a fixed mindset), this situation actually provides the natural context to look around and see who has whatever piece of the puzzle we’re missing.

This can give rise to collaboration, hiring a new team member, or outsourcing a task to a client management agency such as Luneer. It can even lead to unexpected networking opportunities as you reach out to others for ideas and support. People love to be consulted on their area of expertise and are often eager to help.

Failure Skill #5: We learn how to connect more authentically.

There is an old saying that “to err is human.” We’ve all shared a collective cringe at a “spilled the coffee all over the car and then tripped over the cat” story. We wince because it’s so relatable. Error has an odd way of bringing us together on the grounds of our shared humanity. When tactfully acknowledged and addressed, mistakes can be a great opportunity to build rapport with your clients and business partners.

They are, after all, human just like you. The more comfortable you become with acknowledging your mistakes, the more freedom you’ll gain to connect authentically person-to-person, even when interacting through your professional persona.

Failure Skill #6: We build depth of experience upon which to build future success.

You’ve likely heard some version of the story about thomas edison and the light bulb. When asked how many times he failed before producing one functional prototype, the inventor responded “I have not failed 10,000 times – I’ve successfully found 10,000 ways that will not work.” The success of the 10,001st try wouldn’t have been possible without the depth of experience gained through the first 10,000 fails. indeed even reports that top companies intentionally seek out people with a track record of both success and failure. These companies consider the type of learning gained through failure deeply valuable because they know it often lays the groundwork for industry breakthroughs.

Maybe failure isn’t failure.

When handled effectively, failure becomes a form of art. On its own, failure doesn’t automatically teach us anything. But when approached with intentionality, it offers the opportunity to develop critical skills necessary for long-term business success.

Through failure, we have the chance to practice growth mindset, develop prosilience, improve operational processes, access strategic support, connect more authentically, and build the foundation of experience from which to launch the next big thing.

Perhaps the best skill to learn through failure is an overall shift in perspective. Learn to view it, not as failure, but as a messy intermediate step in the masterpiece of your business vision.

WRITTEN BY: DEBORAH STEVENSON