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Our Right to Fail 
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As a youngster, one of the things I learned early on was that winning
and losing was a natural part of any game I played, be it baseball,
football, hockey, Monopoly, cards, you name it. Somebody wins, somebody
loses. Nobody likes to lose, but as I have written in the past, there
is nothing to be ashamed of if you have tried your best, but still
failed. In fact, I have more respect for the person who valiantly tried
and lost, as opposed to the person who won by cutthroat tactics.
The
point is, failure is a natural part of life and an inherent property of
evolution (see Charles Darwin). It is a strong message telling us that
what we are doing is not working, and we can either learn from it and
change or ignore it and perish. It's nice to have a safety net, but
where would we be if nobody took a risk? Without failure, life
stagnates. We cannot make progress if we are not allowed to fail.
Entrepreneurs, adventurers, and other Type A personalities understand
in any venture there is a certain element of risk, whereby they will
either reap the rewards of success, or taste the agony of defeat. They
weigh the risks carefully, then work overtime to assure success, but
they clearly understand there is no such thing as a guarantee for
success.
There are people today who want to eliminate our right
to fail, that nobody should experience the pain or embarrassment of
defeat. This is why I have a problem with the bailout plans our
government has devised for the banks, automotive industry, and other
financial institutions. I contend the bailouts will only be a temporary
fix, and the companies will not make the severe and necessary changes
to survive in the years ahead. Only failure will cause them to make the
required changes. To my way of thinking, the government bailout plans
are only delaying the inevitable.
All of the greed and
corruption we allowed to creep into our business practices have finally
come home to roost. Consequently, companies are no longer maintaining a
competitive edge in business, and are losing money due to unscrupulous
self-centered interests and just plain stupid business decisions. The
companies are all sorry for the problem and promise to never allow it
to happen again. Hell, an accused murderer or rapist couldn't say it
any better. They all want redemption without having to worry about
paying a penalty. I'm sorry, but that is not how the game is supposed
to be played, but then again there are those who want to change the
rules so that nobody loses. This is just plain wrong.
If you
believe companies will make the necessary changes in their policies and
operations, simply because the government is going to bail them out,
you are taking it in the arm. Like it or not, failure is the only real
catalyst to invoke true changes. Nothing is more powerful to truly
change someone, than failure; ask anyone who has experienced it.
Nobody
likes to take their medicine, but I'm afraid it is time to pass out the
Castor Oil and tablespoons. It may sound silly and I don't expect a lot
of people to jump on the bandwagon, but it's time to "Protect our right to fail!"
Note: All trademarks both marked and unmarked belong to
their respective companies.
About the AuthorTim Bryce is the
Managing Director of
M.
Bryce & Associates (MBA) of Palm Harbor, Florida and
has over 30 years of experience in the management consulting field. He
can be reached at timb001@phmainstreet.com
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Article Published/Sorted/Amended on Scopulus 2009-04-10 23:31:46 in Personal Articles
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