October begins the last quarter of the year, serving as a reminder to wrap up the year successfully, plan for the year ahead, and give ourselves an honest review of our accomplishments and areas for improvement.
Taking these steps is an opportunity to create an action plan for future success, building upon what we have learned, and improving our mental resilience. According to researchers at the University of Arizona, our learning is optimized when we fail 15% of the time and learn from our mistakes.
We recently asked our LinkedIn followers about valuable lessons learned from failure. Read on to discover the results and key takeaways!
Poll Question
We asked our 270K+ followers, "What is the most valuable lesson you've learned from failure?"
Response options included the following:
Resilience and Perseverance
Adaptability and Flexibility
Improved Planning
Value of Collaboration
Poll Results
With a total of 424 votes, the results are as follows:
Resilience and Perseverance earned the majority of votes at 58%.
Adaptability and Flexibility was second with 29% of the votes.
Improved Planning was third with 10% of the votes.
Value of Collaboration was fourth with 3% of the votes.
Analyzing the Results
The poll results revealed that 58% of respondents identified Resilience and Perseverance as the most valuable lessons learned from failure. In a culture that often emphasizes weaknesses and shortcomings over strengths and achievements, these insights highlight the importance of reframing failure as a growth opportunity (Ian Shoup, 2019).
Adaptability and Flexibility were valuable lessons selected by 29% of our followers.
"We are not celebrating failure; we are allowing space for it," according to Clay Tuten with Forbes Communication Council.
Each of us is human, with intersecting identities, offering many opportunities for growth and personal development on our collective journey to better ourselves and our communities. The lessons of adaptability and flexibility allow us to "adjust our future attempts, we learn about ourselves in the process and gain a bit of empathy towards others that might be struggling as well," according to Kealy Spring, Leadership Fellow Coach, BetterUp.
Improved Planning was selected by 10% of respondents. According to Dara Kiernan 🇮🇪, companies should plan for failure, understanding that failure is essential for growth and innovation. Create flexible plans, foster open communication, and consider the possible risks and setbacks.
The Value of Collaboration came in last with 3% of votes. When experiencing failure, seek feedback, conduct an analysis, revise your strategy, implement changes, and embrace a growth mindset (University of Massachusetts Amherst).
According to Madeline Miles with BetterUp, learning from our failures brings us one step closer to achieving success. What steps can you take today to embrace failure, learn from it, and find gratitude in failing forward?
At BGSF, we encourage our team members to boldly embrace failure by adopting a growth mindset, creating space for innovation, and learning together!
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