Leaders - Can You Laugh at Yourself?

What type of example are we setting if we react to failure with embarrassment, shame, or anger?

I failed miserably in front of my entire team.  I was the one who set up a teambuilding event.  We participated in a leadership reaction course (LRC) much like the ones I did in the Army.  I remembered how much I learned as a young cadet at West Point when I went through the LRC in the 80s. I was sure it would be great for the team even though I was sure it might be repetitive for me. But, the joke was on me. During one part of the exercise, it was obvious that I was the weak link.  So I did the only thing I could at that moment.  I laughed.

What about you?  Are you able to look at your own failures and laugh? When was the last time that everyone was watching you and you failed?  What was your reaction? Embarrassment? Shame? Anger?  How a leader reacts in that moment is a window into their character.

An interesting thing happens as we age, or we gain promotions, we tend to start to take ourselves too seriously.  Maybe we have an overinflated view of our abilities. Maybe we think that failure is unbecoming to someone in our position. Maybe we just think people at this stage shouldn’t let others see us fail.  But, we are missing an opportunity if we think that way.

Everyone always talks about how a leader needs to set the example.  But, what type of example are we setting if we react to failure with embarrassment, shame, or anger? How will the people watching us at work and at home react to failure when it comes their way?

Having the Humility and the Courage to laugh at our failures has an impact on the people around us. When a leader can put their failures into perspective and chuckle, that sets up an environment where others feel safe to fail. When people feel safe to fail, they begin to try new things because they are less afraid of a negative outcome.  When they try new things, they learn new lessons, find new solutions to old problems, and they embrace learning. The entire team, the work team and the home team, becomes a team dominated by the Courage to try, the Humility to learn, and the Positivity to not take themselves too seriously.

Failure sucks because failure is an assault on my pride. Sometimes I decide to avoid new things because my pride prevents me from facing the possibility of failure - especially when that failure could happen in front of others.  But a leader who is willing to try, fail, laugh, and then learn inspires a culture that will inspire others to grow and have fun while doing it.

Who wouldn’t want to be part of a work team or a home team that was like that?

Question:

• What is something new you have avoided trying because you could fail in front of others?

• Are you able to laugh at yourself when you screw up?

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Here is a quick assessment that will take you 5 minutes to figure it out. Nobody will ever see your results but you.

Warning: If you are not going to be honest with yourself this is a worthless assessment.

To take the assessment use the QR code above or go to www.MYCHARACTERTEST.com