Using failure as a tool

I didn’t fail 1,000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps” – Thomas EdisonThis quote has become synonymous with resilience, perseverance and dealing with failures. Reread it for a moment and think about the meaning of it?What would have happened if Edison had hated, feared or avoided failure? Many of us do; we work so hard to avoid ‘failing’ we often miss out on the wonderful opportunity that failure provides.I am a firm believer that we grow more from failure that anything else.It is in the most challenging times when we really understand what we can overcome, how much we want something and just how much perseverance we have.When I look back on my greatest accomplishments, not one of them was easy.Perhaps that’s the nature of an accomplishment, we have to feel we’ve earned it, worked for it and grown for it.I want you to think for a moment about one of your greatest failures.It might sting a little to recall, but stay with it.Now think about what that taught you? How did you recover and respond?Individuals, teams and organisations that avoid failure lose out on the greatest growth opportunities.The most successful organisations don’t just learn from failure — they embrace it, share it and grow from it.I believe failure can be our biggest teacher, if we allow ourselves to remove the fear of it.The fear of shame, rejection, and embarrassment should be replaced with a love of growth and learning.If we replace the word ‘failure’ with ‘lesson’ we can transform how we as individuals, teams, organisations and communities view setbacks.So when you fear trying something new ask yourself why? What are you afraid will happen? Instead of looking back at failures, look back at all your lessons.The companies leading the way in becoming the best places to work are recognising this.They deliberately seek out individuals who have failed, because they firmly believe that those who can survive and grow through setbacks are the most irreplaceable.Steve Jobs, Thomas Eddison, Albert Einstein, J K Rowling — some of the most successful pioneers — have failed way more times than they have succeeded but they always view those ‘failures’ as lessons that brought them closer to their eventual success.*S Zuhair Naqvi is the Managing Director of DicoTech Qatar WLL and a Partner at The Happiness Hub QatarTwitter: #zuhairnaqviLinkedIn: zuhair-naqvi-dicotechqatarFailure to success