Climb the Mountain of Failure to Find Success

According to Rashida Rowe, “The road to success is paved with failure.”

I believe most of us would agree with that statement because we have experienced a lot of failure on our way to success.

Yet it can be easy to overlook the past obstacles and failures overcome by other successful people when we see them today.

Take Abraham Lincoln for example.  His path to the Presidency was paved with failure.  He ran for office several times and lost.  He failed in business and even had a nervous breakdown.  But when we look back at his life, we only see him as a successful President, maybe the best one ever.

Most successful people stumble along their way, and it is easy to forget that simple truth when we are experiencing our failure.

What does failure look like for law enforcement leaders?

Failure can take on many forms.  The obvious one would be a failure to get a promotion.

Have you ever sought a promotion and didn’t get it?

I know I have.

Another failure might be not getting that internal assignment to a specialized unit that you had your heart set on.

Been there, done that.

The list could go on and on from there.  Someone else got the opportunity to attend the FBI National Academy instead of you.  Your department hand-picked another supervisor to be in charge of a particular event instead of you.  You stuck your neck out trying to save an employee, and he gets into trouble again and is fired.

I think you get the point.

Failure can and does happen to all of us.  As you have been reading, a few of your failures probably popped into your mind.  Failure is a part of our lives.  Failure is a part of our success as well.

As you climb the mountain of failure, there are three valuable lessons to learn along the way to reach success at the top.

Get Mad Then Get Over It

I know what you are thinking.  This lesson is easier said than done.

I agree.

However, it is necessary if you want to succeed in the future.  If you can’t get over past failures and mistakes, it can almost be impossible to achieve success in the future.

In fact, your inappropriate reaction to failure can sabotage your chances for future opportunities.  People are always observing your response to failure.  Let me give you an example.

A few years ago we were interviewing candidates for promotion to Sergeant.  We had a lot of qualified candidates, and the decision was a difficult one.  One candidate, who was not selected, had a tough time with the decision.  He displayed a negative attitude about it and let the decision affect his work.

He didn’t just get mad and then get over it.

A few months later, an unexpected opportunity for promotion to Sergeant popped up.  Although the candidate who previously wasn’t selected was highly qualified, he was not chosen this time either.  His poor attitude about not getting promoted the first time demonstrated a lack of maturity that is highly sought after by supervisors.

Ultimately, this highly qualified officer that would likely get promoted in the future with the right attitude left our department to seek employment elsewhere.  He has bounced around several places since leaving.

Related Article: The 5 Biggest Mistakes Leaders Make When They are on the Brink of Success

He could not get mad and then get over it.

I can sympathize with this officer.  After having been passed over six times for promotion to Sergeant, I was promoted.  I was mad each time I didn’t get promoted, yet I was able to get over it quickly.  I also didn’t let me not getting promoted affect my work.

After ten years at Marietta, I was finally promoted to Sergeant.

Understand Why You Failed

Don’t get mad and then get over it without doing a little reflection.

Malcolm Forbes said, “Failure is success if we LEARN FROM IT.”  He is absolutely correct.

If we fail to learn from our mistakes and failures, we are doomed to repeat them.

A real, introspective look at why you failed is important.  But we have to be honest with ourselves.  Some people can complete an accurate self-assessment while others may find this a little tricky.

Try this exercise.

Take a sheet of paper and divide into two columns.  Use one column to list all of the reasons you can think of why you failed.  In the other column, list all of the things you can do differently the next time you have the opportunity.

That might be all you need, or you might need to talk to someone else who can provide an outside, objective view of the situation.  This feedback can be just what you need.

When I assessed for Sergeant and didn’t do well, I asked about my weaknesses and where I needed to improve.  I received some helpful observations from those involved.  Over time, I was able to improve incrementally until I scored well enough to get promoted.

Getting the unvarnished truth can be your best friend under these circumstances.

You Must Try Again

If your failure and the accompanying disappointment causes you to give up, then failure has won.

Failure can be overwhelming.  It can consume you.  It can rob you of your passion, your drive and destroy your desire to succeed.

I have seen many law enforcement leaders and aspiring leaders give up after failing to achieve something they really wanted.

You only truly fail if you give up.

I remember a certain Patrol Officer who was very interested in being promoted.  This officer assessed for the position and did all that was asked of him.  After a few unsuccessful tries, he gave up.

The assessment center was rigged, he didn’t get a fair shake, or others were more qualified were some of the excuses he gave himself.  Rather than try and find out why he didn’t get promoted, he gave up.

He remained a patrol officer his entire career.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with that, except for the fact that he wanted more, but gave up when faced with failure.

I have a friend who was interested in becoming a police chief.  He applied for several jobs and was a finalist on many occasions.  Although he was so close to getting the job, he didn’t.

He could have just given up.  That would have been the easy way out.  Instead, he continued to give himself time to get over it, learned from his past failures and tried again.

I was very proud of him.

Oh, by the way.  He got the dream job he always wanted!

When failure comes your way, don’t give up.  Try again.

Final Thoughts

It is tempting to give up or quit when you fail.  It takes a lot of courage to get over it, examine why you failed and try again.

Don’t be the “woulda, coulda, shoulda” person looking back on life and wondering what would have happened if you had not given up on your dreams and aspirations.

You will be a better person because of it.

Don’t give up on your dreams just because you are not reaching them as fast as you thought you would or because the going gets too painful.

I love this quote by Les Brown.

“The graveyard is the richest place on earth, because it is here that you will find all the hopes and dreams that were never fulfilled, the books that were never written, the songs that were never sung, the inventions that were never shared, the cures that were never discovered, all because someone was too afraid to take that first step, keep with the problem, or determined to carry out their dream.”

Stick with it and success will surely find you when you climb the mountain of failure.

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