A multitude of drops

Today we live in a society where failure is not an option. We look down on those who do not succeed, and berate ourselves when we are defeated. We shy away from risky behaviour for fear of not succeeding and settle for lives of mediocrity in order to avoid being associated with that dreaded word “failure”.
What we seem to forget is that failure is essential to success. It forces you to re-evaluate and try new things. 
Failure is especially important in regards to leadership. There are many good leaders in the world, but what separates them from great leaders is how they react to failure. Great leaders are not those who do not fail, but those who are accountable for their actions and learn from their failures. Many of the great leaders that we admire today have failed dismally in the past, but by learning from their mistakes, managed to eventually succeed. Below are some examples:

“Everyone falls down. Getting back up is how you learn how to walk.”

When Walt Disney was first starting out, he was fired by a newspaper editor because “he lacked imagination and had no good ideas” and his first animation company went bankrupt within one year. His ideas were ridiculed and rejected, yet he learned from every setback. He eventually found success and today Disney's films are known and adored by people around the world.

“Failure is simply an opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.”

When Henry Ford first started out in the automobile industry, his first two companies went out of business within a couple of years. Eventually the Ford Motor Company was established and its innovative assembly line production meant that his cars were inexpensive and well made. His company still remains one of the largest car companies in the world today.

“It’s fine to celebrate success but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure.”

So don’t be afraid of failure. Instead embrace it, evaluate it and learn from it. For it is only by doing so that good leaders become great.

You can read more about how failure and leadership are related here:
   5 things failure teaches you about leadership
   How great leaders triumph over failure

Image sources
http://thinksquad.tumblr.com/image/70013186971
http://todayinirishhistory.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/henry_ford_with_the_model_t.jpg
http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/Walt_Disney/Gallery?file=Walt_disney.jpg