A Cornell professor created a CV listing his rejections and failures alongside his achievements. This act of disclosure is highly effective for motivating junior colleagues, as it normalizes the setbacks inherent in ambitious careers and makes success feel more attainable.
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Attempting humor in a professional context is like sales; you fail more than you succeed. Embracing and sharing these imperfect attempts creates an authentic connection. It shows others that it is normal to fail on the path to success, which helps combat widespread imposter syndrome.
Treat your emotions after a rejection as crucial data. Professor Laura Wong categorizes her rejections based on her feelings (e.g., disappointment vs. relief). This practice helps her identify patterns and learn what she truly wants in her career, turning setbacks into powerful moments of self-discovery and strategic pivots.
Studies show executives who admit to past struggles, like being rejected from multiple jobs, are trusted more by employees. This vulnerability doesn't diminish their perceived competence and can significantly increase team motivation and willingness to work for them.
Much like a failed surgery provides crucial data for a future successful one, business failures should be seen as necessary steps toward a breakthrough. A "scar" from a failed project is evidence of progress and learning, not something to be hidden. This mindset is foundational for psychological safety.
When evaluating senior candidates, don't view a failed entrepreneurial venture as a negative. It often indicates valuable traits like risk-tolerance, scrappiness, and resilience. These leaders have learned hard lessons on someone else's dime, making them potentially more effective in a new organization.
Instead of hiding rejections, author Shannon Hale physically compiled them into a long, laminated roll. She uses this powerful visual aid during school visits to demonstrate that rejection is a significant and normal part of the path to eventual success, reframing failure as process.
Highly successful individuals like actress Brie Larson often face staggering rates of rejection (98-99%). This reframes success not as the absence of failure, but as the ability to tolerate a high volume of it long enough for opportunities to materialize.
Scientist Bede Ports shares that failing out of college, while difficult, built resilience and shaped his leadership. Recognizing he received a second chance that others might not, he consciously incorporates this experience into his mentorship of junior scientists, fostering a more empathetic approach.
To foster psychological safety for innovation, leaders must publicly celebrate the effort and learning from failed projects, not just successful outcomes. Putting a team on a pedestal for a six-month project that didn't ship sends a stronger signal than any monetary award.
To build a culture of innovation, leaders must actively destigmatize failure. Bloomberg makes a public show of support for employees whose experiments don't work, signaling that the attempt itself is valued and will not harm their career.
