Fail Early And Fail Often, But Fail Forward

We’ve arrived at that period in the calendar that lends itself to looking to the coming year with anticipation at what we hope to accomplish, and sometimes to looking back at what was not achieved in the past year.  Goals not reached aren’t fun to contemplate, and certainly not something we like to talk about.  But the truth is, no one is immune from failure.  However, how we perceive it and what we do with it makes a huge difference. 

One of my favorite business stories involves a restaurant chain called Dick’s Last Resort.  We were in Myrtle Beach with some friends who insisted that we have dinner at Dick’s.  They warned us that the wait staff would insult us, put funny paper hats on our heads, and even throw things at us.  “But you’ll have a great time!” they insisted.  “Everybody goes there.”  Sure enough, the place was packed, and the service was exactly as described.  Intrigued, I did some research and learned that Dick’s Last Resort has its origins in a plan gone wrong.  The owners originally set out to create a fine dining restaurant, which ended in bankruptcy.  Instead of accepting failure, they decided to try again by taking the fine dining concept, turning it on its head, and “going sloppy.”  The result is a chain of 11 restaurants in major metropolitan areas across the US.

 The owners of Dick’s succeeded in large measure simply because they refused to give up.  They are a shining example of what author John Maxwell talks about in his book “Failing Forward”.  Maxwell asserts that people who are high achievers have a different perception of failure – they see it simply as the price that must be paid to achieve success.  The only way to get ahead, Maxwell says, is to, “fail early, fail often and fail forward.”  Successful people put things behind them and move on.  It’s not that they don’t get knocked down, it’s what they do after they get back up that makes the difference.

 Maxwell offers the following advice on failing forward:

Finalize your goal – the goal shapes the plan, the plan shapes the action, action achieves the results.

Order your plan – if you neglect to plan, you plan to fail.

Risk failing by taking action – don’t let yourself become paralyzed by the fear of risk..

Welcome mistakes – embrace the learning that comes with them.

Advance based on your character- there will always be times when giving up would be easier.

Re-evaluate your progress continually – learn and adjust.

Develop new strategies to succeed.  There will never be a perfect plan.  You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.

All of that said, here’s to a New Year filled with success.  Set a goal, make a plan, work the plan, and be persistent!