We’ve all heard the term “Fear of Failure.” But have you ever really thought about it for yourself?
What makes successful people successful is that, well, they’ve been successful. Top of Class, A-Performer, risen to the top, accelerated progression, a Super Star, a High Performance / High Potential Rising Star. All good stuff.
But what many hyper-successful people have not contemplated is that they are often not good at failure. They have pretty limited experience with it. They don’t know how to do it. The setbacks that other mere mortals may have experienced often (!) during their rise to mid-level management. How many of our top leaders typically encounter career trials & tribulations … and Failure!? How many failed and failed and failed again … then rose to the top? It’s not that those amazing examples aren’t out there … but, as a whole, our top Leaders have limited experience with the big F-word: Failure.
High performers sometimes discover that they can be quite risk averse … that they actually fear failure. They don’t put themselves in positions where potential for failure is a real outcome. They would rather steer the ship slow and steady, than place a big bet or take a chance. They would rather not try a new activity or hobby that they’re not experienced with or good at … because they might not look perfect in their attempts to learn. They miss out on a lot of fun.
What’s your fear of failure factor? What have you tried recently, that you’re not likely to succeed at, and might even look silly doing? It’s OK to fail. In fact, it can be liberating.
“What would you do if you knew you could not fail?”- Robert H. Schuller
Curious to know what you think …
Anna Minto
Founder & CEO, Transformational Change
LinkedIn.com/in/annaminto
Anna Minto - Transformational Change 
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