Sitting on my desk is a cup that I picked up on one of my trips to Florida. It states, “Failure is not an option.” That statement is also the title of a book in my leadership library written by Gene Kranz, who was the flight director for NASA during the Apollo program. “Failure is not an option” was not just a catchphrase for NASA during that time in our country’s space exploration; it was a definitive statement that Kranz and his team lived by. They lived it because they knew that if they didn’t, others would die. Failure in the space program was a matter of life and death.
I mention this because, although few of us ever have to deal with life and death in our day-to-day work, we still face challenges which stretch us to a point where we must make a decision as to whether we are willing to accept failure or to determine that failure is, plain and simple, not an option. It could be dealing with a project or a difficult situation at the office, or it could be a difficultly with a relationship at home. It could be something to do with your pursuit of a better life, or even overcoming an illness. Sometimes circumstances in life become overwhelming and we can begin to doubt ourselves, wonder if we have what it takes to make it to the finish line, and think about taking the easy way out in life and quitting when things get hard. Most of us have been there at one time or another. However, it’s when things get hard that we start to discover who we really are and what kind of leader we can become. It’s at that point when we must adopt the phrase, “Failure is NOT an option.”
Leaders who become all they truly can be and want to be are determined. They face the challenges before them and don’t back away when things become difficult. Here’s a news flash – any time you’re in leadership and trying to make a difference, difficult things happen and the challenges can come from anywhere. The thing we must accept is that challenge is part of the process; we can’t let it beat us, steal our energy, or cause us to doubt the vision we have for our lives, our calling, and the legacy we want to leave behind us. Jim Collins, in the book, Good to Great, speaks of the unwavering resolve that leaders of great organizations possess. He states, “Leadership is about ferocious resolve, an almost stoic determination to do whatever needs to be done.”
Is there something in your life which is keeping you awake at night? Is there a situation which has worn you and you just want it to go away? Have you begun a process or a project that is harder than you ever expected? Are there people in your life that are making you crazy? If so, you’re not alone! Everyone, especially leaders, deals with this. However, the difference between the top percentage of people who become inspirational leaders and those who don’t is often the ferocious resolve and determination Collins speaks of. True leaders are determined to somehow survive the challenges and remain on their feet until things get better. Leaders know failure is not an option.
Lead well.