Playing it safe is costing you: How High-Performing Leaders Push the Edge
As a leader, how often do you set goals that you might actually fail?
I frequently tell my kids, “If you’re never experiencing failure, you’re playing it too safe.” If you and your team continue to set goals that feel like a “layup,” it is very possible that you are leaving far too much on the table.
You’d be surprised where my inspiration to push closer to failure came from.
Last year, I sprained my meniscus. This led to months of meticulous exercises, stretching and physical therapy. With the help of a skilled PT, I was healed by early fall. As my PT released me back into the wild, he suggested I undergo additional strength training. I believe my response was “Ugh.”
A power lifting gym is the last place I thought I would ever find myself. I don’t like gyms. I exercise alone and usually early in the morning. I’m self-driven and enjoy the solo time. However, my main issue with strength training has always been that possibility of failure. The goal is to get right up to the point of muscle failure, and there’s always a strong possibility of actually hitting failure. I’ve never felt very comfortable balancing on that edge.
My discomfort was plain in the first few training sessions. I quizzed the trainer on what would happen if I failed each type of exercise. Would the safety bar really catch in the right spot? How would I get free?
I was intimidated every time I stepped into the gym.
I realized that if I was going to keep doing this, I had to get used to the idea of failing. Because it was an important part of the process.
So I failed. Sometimes I would go for another rep and it just wasn’t there. My brain would say yes and my muscles would scream no. I learned that it wasn’t really that dramatic or scary. I could fail and get the bar down safely. I could lose that round and pivot.
With each of these experiences, I became more comfortable with teetering on the edge of failure. I got used to it and I also saw the value in it. There’s power in pushing ourselves beyond what we are currently be capable of. There’s freedom in facing failure and then moving on.
This year, my goals are bigger and pushier. I’ve tried to embrace the possibility that I will fail many of them because I want to see what happens when I take that risk. It’s an edge that I’m no longer so afraid of.
How many of your goals are fail-proof?
How do you feel about setting targets that stretch what’s possible?
What small areas of your life would you be willing to risk it?
Some ideas for failing:
Ask yourself what feels doable and then add 10%. That 10% outside of your comfort zone can make all the difference.
Poll your team: Which of our annual goals feel like we are playing it too safe? Adjust accordingly.
Add something audacious or really fun to the list. What haven’t you tried but always wanted to?
Even if you’re not ready to create the chance of failure in most of your endeavors, there has to be some place for this kind of risk taking!
I teach leaders and their teams how to do this and break past the barriers and biases which keep them in ‘small-goal’ territory. For more on this contact me directly here:
Loala McCann is an Executive Coach who specializes in working with women in leadership. Her clients often come to her when they’re stressed out and losing sleep over a major transition: an intimidating set of new responsibilities, a new team with tough dynamics, challenging company growth, looming retirement and more.
Coaching is an excellent resource for individual leaders to regain their footing during a challenging period. It’s also the best option for a team in need of recalibration.
For more on Loala’s coaching philosophy, the story of how she transitioned from corporate HR executive to coach, and why she does what she does, click here.
