THE LEADERSHIP SKILL NO ONE TEACHES: HOW TO FAIL FORWARD

Abstract Executive coach Riegel, and entrepreneur Macaulay discuss the nuances of failure within leadership, and how it can potentially lead to ultimate success and professional/personal self‐development. They contend that “When a leader is able to build a culture that rewards risk‐taking—intelligent risk‐taking—then setbacks are not invitations to play the blame game. Rather, they are opportunities for learning and growth.” They identify “five distinct failure patterns” for leaders to be aware of; in their words: 1) concrete failure, 2) circumstantial failure, 3) perceived failure, 4) identity failure, and 5) paralysis failure. They further identify three strategic reframes that can be used by leaders in any sector; in their words: From Verdict to Information; From Crisis to Calibration; and From Shame to Strategy. They discuss what they call the Ground‐Gather‐Go! “three‐step framework for recovering from setbacks and returning stronger.” In their words, the three steps are: Ground: Creating Space for Strategic Thinking; Gather: Systematic Intelligence Collection; and Go: Strategic Action with Built‐in Learning. “Based on our combined experience working with thousands of leaders across sectors,” they conclude, “the most successful leaders aren't those who avoid failure; they're those who have mastered the art of learning from their failures.”