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When I was learning from a karate master, I loved to ask questions. One day my master abruptly said: "You, be quiet! You ask too many questions and practise too little." I wanted success without the hard work of mastering my art. This was how I would approach business too. |
Jo Hazelhurst, Business Report, The Star, July 31, 2008I was afraid of failing. Most of all, I was afraid of looking like a fool. I thought if I had information, then I could do it "right".
My master shared this story: "When I studied with the grand master abroad, no matter what questions I asked, I was told in Japanese, 'Practise!'. I didn't understand. But you may not argue with the master, so I practised. The answers came naturally over time from the inside."
Practice not only teaches skill, it develops wisdom. Wisdom is where true leadership begins. Mistakes and challenges are the classrooms of wisdom.
"Seven times down, eight times up," says a Japanese proverb. You may fight 100 people to receive your black belt.
It's not how many times you win that matters, but how many times you stand after each fall. There is no failure when you do your best.
In Western society, discomfort, mistakes and loss are labelled as bad, and the bearer of this misfortune a failure.
But as an entrepreneur, you need to learn not only to stand up again, you must come to thrive on adversity. To become a great leader, you must create a culture that teaches your team to do the same.
This means getting out of your own way.
In 15 years of working with people, no matter what their accomplishments, I have found that everyone has the same fear. Whether their businesses turn over R20 billion or R1 000, the fear of failure and looking bad is universal. We fear we are not enough. We fear that without more, we cannot be happy.
Imagine a baby learning to walk. Each time it tries to stand, it falls. The baby says: "Oh, what a failure I am. I'd better keep crawling. At least I know it's one thing I am good at."
Mom concurs: "Silly child for even trying. I told you, you'd hurt yourself."
We believe challenge and mistakes are suffering. Yet people who have achieved great success will tell you that their accomplishments came through their biggest mistakes and adversities.
Robert Kiyosaki had lost everything before writing Rich Dad Poor Dad, which became an international bestseller that has held a top spot on the New York Times bestsellers list for over six years. This business would change the lives of millions and make him a fortune. At a breakfast two weeks ago, he suggested that wealthy entrepreneurs failed at least three times before they succeeded. So if you're in bankruptcy, excellent: one down, two to go.
Michael Gerber, a renowned entrepreneur coach, says that at the age of 41, "you would never have thought I would become the world's number one small business guru, with seven of the top 10 business books in the world. I didn't know anything about business, and I didn't even like business. My life was a raving accident."
JK Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series, says: "By every usual standard, I was the biggest failure I knew … [so] I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than what I was, and began to direct all my energy into finishing the only work that mattered to me.
"Had I really succeeded at anything else, I might never have found the determination to succeed in the one arena I believed I truly belonged. I was set free."
If you are not willing to fail, you will choose the same results. This is insanity, to paraphrase Albert Einstein.
If you want new results, take risks. Darryl Wolfaardt, a strategy coach at Johannesburg-based business incubator Raizcorp, says: "Failure is only feedback." So don't let your fears keep your business from life.
The question then is, how do you start? You just start, become enthusiastic and enjoy the fall. Instead of admonishing yourself or your team for making mistakes, embrace everything as learning.
Celebrate the mistakes and accomplishments equally. Be grateful for each situation and, like learning to drive a car, go do it again. It's called practise.
As the poet Khalil Gibran wrote:
- "Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to you as by the attitude you bring to life; not so much by what happens to you as by the way your mind looks at what happens."
Your assignment this week: Make a list of five failures. What have you learned from them? How have they helped you to succeed? Ask your team to do the same. Share this with a friend or write to me.
Jo Hazelhurst is a change agent, personal development coach, writer, entrepreneur and team leadership facilitator. Send your questions or lessons via www.kalavati.org
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