Leadership

How Do Leaders Deal With Failure?

By October 29, 2014 No Comments

“Leaders Can Let You Fail, But Not Let You Become A Failure.”

I love TED Radio Hour.

Great content. Amazing content.

Currently, my favorite episode is the Disruptive Leadership episode. It features 5 awesome speakers, but my favorite highlight is from General Stanley McChrystal.

You can listen to it here.

His topic: How Do Leaders Deal With Failure?

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Long story short, he was really cleaning up Afghanistan well when it came to fighting the Taliban. He’s a brilliant improvisational battle commander.

However, disaster struck his administration when a journalist published a story that exposed McChrystal and his staff for badmouthing President Obama.

It led to McChrystal’s resignation and a dramatic “fall” from grace.

Yet, leaders fail. They have missteps.  They pay the price.  But, then they lead again because that’s what they were born to do.

How do you know someone is a leader? Look behind them and see if anyone is following…

Here’s a list of quotes from the episode that I found riveting:

  • “I knew if I ever got in a tight spot that you would come…if alive.”- General Sherman to General Grant looking back on their campaigns in 1862-1863 during the American Civil War.
  • “A leader isn’t good because they’re right. They’re a leader because they are willing to learn and to trust.
  • “If you are a leader, the people who count on you will help you up.”
  • “And if you are a leader, the people who count on you need you on your feet.”

QUESTION FOR COMMENT SECTION:

How do you deal with failure as a leader? Does it stifle you or motivate you?

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