Fail Intentionally and with Grandeur

2016 was a shit year for just about everyone I know, and 2017 seems to have taken that to a national scale. Everyone feels like nothing is going right and they just keep failing. I'm seeing typically brave people pulling their cards in tighter and calling bets. 

All that is doing is making us more frustrated. 

You should fail — hard, fast, and with intention. It's core to testing and serves definitive measures for iterative development and future success.

You should fail — with fire, smoke, and a racket. To learn from failure, you need to fail with near reckless abandon and burn the whole thing to the ground, so you don't have to do it more than once.

You should fail — with flourish, grace, and grandeur. You are going to fail, so there is no point in being bitter, angry, or frustrated with yourself about it. If you gave it everything and still failed, then it was meant to fail.

Failing hard and fast is frequently stated in the tech space, with only some really taking it to heart. If you constantly question the methods the minute detail or interrogate your employees and cross-interrogate them, to ensure the failure was necessary; it's not really implemented. This breeds doubt and insecurity in your employees, and they are more likely to make future mistakes trying to be secure with their decisions, not to mention mental fatigue and slowed production.

Give people the chance to succeed, by letting them fall flat on their face.

One of the best implementations I ever heard was actually at a government contractor for military technology. Each employee got two 'Get out of jail free' cards per year that they could use when they messed up for no questions (within certain reason). Employees valued the cards so much, that few were ever used. Employees felt trusted and empowered, and from what I saw, put forward more innovative and well-thought ideas.

If you have a hard time, letting go — make yourself fail.

Handcuff yourself to a small sinking ship to get used to the idea. Take on something less feasible and work hard knowing it will fail, and feel the failure. 

We used to do this in team sports all the time. We were asked to complete tasks that the coach knew we were incapable of completing, and when we failed, he would say 'well, now you know what you need to do.' It gives you a marker to work towards, and a definitive measure of success. You learn to forgive yourself and others for their failures, since you all have failed before individually, and together.

We also learned when to kick it into high-gear. You know what you are capable of, and don't want to fail on something that seems simple, or stupid in your mind. It becomes a challenge against yourself, instead of someone else or for something else. You still may fail, but it becomes empowering instead of disheartening.

Do it for you, and love yourself enough to be imperfect, and forgive yourself for not being everything you should or want to be, and be brave enough to fail.