67. "You are Going to Fail!"

Summary

Leading Organizations That Matter: Episode 67 – "You are Going to Fail!"

In Episode 67 of the Leading Organizations That Matter podcast, host Ray Spadoni delves into the profound concept that embracing failure is essential for leadership and organizational success. Titled "You are Going to Fail!", this episode explores the psychological resilience required to lead effectively and the importance of learning from setbacks.

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1. Introduction to the Theme

Ray Spadoni sets the stage by emphasizing the inevitability of failure in any ambitious endeavor. He introduces the episode’s central theme—“You are going to fail”—as a foundational mindset for leaders striving to make meaningful impacts within their organizations.

Quote:
"Today's topic is 'You are going to fail.'" [00:10]

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2. Lessons from Navy SEAL Training

Spadoni recounts insights from a podcast he listened to about Navy SEAL training, highlighting the rigorous physical and psychological challenges these elite soldiers face. He underscores how consistent exposure to the notion of failure prepares SEALs to handle extreme stress and adversity.

Key Points:

• Rigorous Training: SEAL candidates undergo intense physical and mental preparation to tackle highly demanding missions.
• Psychological Preparation: Repeatedly being told “you are going to fail” conditions trainees to manage and overcome the fear of failure.
• Resilience Building: The training fosters a mindset where successful SEALs believe they can beat the odds despite low probabilities of success.

Quote:
"Trainees are told repeatedly and assertively that you are going to fail individually and collectively." [00:45]

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3. Application to Organizational Leadership

Drawing parallels between SEAL training and organizational leadership, Spadoni argues that the ability to handle failure is equally crucial in business settings. He emphasizes that fostering a culture where failure is acknowledged and learned from can lead to stronger, more resilient organizations.

Key Points:

• Hiring for Resilience: Leaders should seek candidates who have experienced and learned from failures, rather than those with unblemished records.
• Organizational Culture: Creating an environment that accepts failure as part of the growth process encourages continuous improvement and innovation.

Quote:
"Success has much more to do with how we get up and keep on going than truly anything else." [06:30]

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4. Personal Anecdote: The Cost of Unacknowledged Failures

Spadoni shares a poignant personal story from his early career at Ernst and Young (then Ernst and Winnie) that illustrates the pitfalls of hiring individuals who have never faced significant setbacks.

Story Highlights:

• Exceptional Candidates: The team encountered several highly qualified candidates, all seemingly perfect.
• Craig Anderson’s Insight: A mentor named Craig Anderson voiced concerns about one candidate's lack of experience with failure, stating, "I like her as a candidate a lot, but I'm bothered by the fact that she has no failures and can't speak to what she learned from them." [03:15]
• Initial Success and Subsequent Struggle: Despite her strong performance initially, the candidate struggled profoundly when a major client issue arose, unable to cope with failure, leading to her departure.
• Lesson Learned: This experience validated Craig’s perspective, highlighting the indispensable role of resilience and the ability to learn from failures in long-term success.

Quote:
"Craig's warning rang true." [07:50]

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5. Insights and Conclusions

Through his narrative and analysis, Spadoni reinforces the idea that failure is not a deterrent but a stepping stone to greater achievements. He advocates for leaders to prioritize resilience and learning in their teams, ensuring that members are equipped to handle inevitable challenges.

Key Insights:

• Value of Failure: Understanding and embracing failure can lead to deeper learning and stronger performance.
• Leadership Development: Encouraging a growth mindset within the organization cultivates leaders who can navigate and thrive amidst adversity.
• Hiring Practices: Incorporating questions about past failures and recovery strategies during interviews can identify candidates with the resilience necessary for leadership roles.

Quote:
"When you're hiring, ask candidates about their failures and how they experienced that failure, what they learned, and how they recovered." [08:45]

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6. Recommendations for Leaders

Spadoni offers actionable strategies for leaders seeking to build resilient teams and organizations:

1. Incorporate Failure into Hiring Criteria: Assess candidates’ past experiences with failure and their ability to learn and grow from them.
2. Foster a Supportive Culture: Create an environment where team members feel safe to fail and are encouraged to share their lessons learned.
3. Lead by Example: Share your own failures and recovery stories to model resilience for your team.
4. Continuous Learning: Invest in training and development that emphasizes adaptability and problem-solving in the face of setbacks.

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7. Final Thoughts

Ray Spadoni concludes the episode by reiterating the significance of embracing failure as a pathway to leadership excellence and organizational impact. He encourages listeners to reflect on their own experiences with failure and to cultivate resilience within their teams.

Closing Quote:
"We all fall down, but long term success has much more to do with how we get up and keep on going than truly anything else." [09:00]

Spadoni invites listeners to engage with the podcast by leaving positive reviews and subscribing to continue their journey toward empowered and effective leadership.

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Connect with Ray Spadoni:
Ray offers coaching, mentoring, and consulting services to support leaders and organizations striving to make a meaningful difference. Visit RedSailAdvisors.com to learn more about his work.

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This episode serves as a compelling reminder that failure, when properly managed and learned from, is not only inevitable but also invaluable in shaping effective leaders and resilient organizations.

Transcript

[Unknown Speaker]

Foreign.

[Ray Spadoni]

Welcome to Leading Organizations that Matter podcast about leadership and how we find meaning, purpose and impact in our work. I'm your host Ray Spadoni, and today's topic is you are going to fail. I listened to a podcast some time ago about Navy SEAL training, which is to say the least rigorous. Candidates for this exclusive, highly specialized, elite group of soldiers must undergo considerable physical and psychological training to make sure that they are ready to accomplish extremely challenging missions. The description of the training made me cringe and wonder whether I would have ever been able to complete such a regimen when I was younger. The part of the podcast I found most interesting was the psychological preparation the candidates must go through that they must endure. Trainees are told were repeatedly and assertively that you are going to fail individually and collectively. Those who hope to become Navy SEALs must contend with an onslaught of constant reminders that the task is nearly impossible and that their actual chance of success is minimal. The person describing this training described the fact that the successful Navy SEAL is someone who feels as though they can beat the odds. Who, despite being assured that there is limited chance of actually progressing to becoming a Navy seal. They're able to overcome those doubts, to overcome the prospect of failure, and to ultimately achieve. I believe there's great applicability here to how we search for successful leaders in our organizations and how we become successful leaders ourselves. Now, I would never recommend that we ask our candidates to swim through dangerous waters or pass onerous survival tests, of course, but I do feel it makes sense to understand that their past failures and then how they overcame them. I recall very well one of my first mentors, Craig Anderson from Ernst and Winnie, as it was called at the time. Now it's Ernst and Young, based in Boston. We were hiring a new member of our consulting team and we met several exceptional candidates. Really exceptional. Everyone on our team selected a top choice, someone with impeccable credentials and who interviewed very well and who we were quite confident would be successful. In the final internal decision meeting, Craig said something that I'll never forget. He said, I like her as a candidate a lot, but I'm bothered by the fact that she has no failures and can't speak to what she learned from them. I remember thinking that that was odd. But we moved on. Craig let us hire her and we appreciated his support. She started strong, was a very hard worker. She showed great instinct and insight, and we felt that she fit in with our team quite perfectly. And then some six months later, there was a major problem with one of our clients and a big part of that problem tied directly to her work. Those of us who had been doing this type of consulting for a while felt that it was a problem we could all certainly get past, but our newest team member could not. It devastated her and she had an incredibly difficult time recovering. She had been used to wins, not losses. She was a very high achiever and so ultimately that experience led to her departure. Which is too bad because I am sure she would have been a great success long term in our firm. Craig's warning rang true. So when you're hiring, ask candidates about their failures and how they experienced that failure, what they learned, and how they recovered. This is worth thinking about for yourself. We all fall down, but long term success has much more to do with how we get up and keep on going than truly anything else. Thanks for listening. Leaving a positive review and letting others know about this podcast will help a great deal. My mission is to help empower organizations that matter by supporting those who lead them. I offer coaching, mentoring and consulting services. You can learn more about me and my [e-mail].