How to Handle Failure

Travis Bradberry of Forbs magazine wrote a great article on handling failure and mistakes. 

1. Break the bad news yourself. If you’ve made a mistake, don’t cross your fingers and hope no one will notice. 

2. Offer an explanation, but don’t make excuses. Owning your mistakes can actually enhance your image.  

3. Have a plan for fixing things. Offer your own solutions.  

4. Have a plan for prevention. Have a plan for how you’ll avoid making the same mistake in the future.  

 5. Get back on the horse. It’s important that you don’t let failure make you timid. 

6. Perspective is the most important factor in handling failure. People who are skilled at rebounding after failure are more likely to blame the failure on something that they did—the wrong course of action or a specific oversight—rather than something that they are 

7. Optimism is another characteristic of people who bounce back from failure. 

8. Persistence. Optimism is a feeling of positivity; persistence is what you do with it. It’s optimism in action.  

8 Ways Smart People Use Failure To Their Advantage

https://www.forbes.com/sites/travisbradberry/2016/04/12/8-ways-smart-people-use-failure-to-their-advantage/?sh=3210a77f4489


Michael Hawkins

Michael Hawkins, MA, LPC is a licensed professional counselor at the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH). With almost 25 years of experience as a counselor, he works with clinicians, students, staff, and clients—compassionately attending to the human needs that arise in the practice of veterinary medicine. Counselor’s Corner is a blog devoted to that purpose. BACK TO BLOG