The cautious seldom err - Confucius
I've been a leader of people for many years across various roles; I believe some are built for it, have natural attributes that lean them towards leadership, and others are followers. All good leaders will be able to learn from others, evaluate good and bad examples, and apply that knowledge to becoming a better leader. This new series is designed to expose great quotes by various leaders and to investigate how they may relate or apply to myself or others. original im src
This week's leadership quote
The cautious seldom err.
The fear of failure is, to me, one of the greatest inhibitors to forward progression, development, growth, positive results, achievement of goals and ultimate success. If one has a task or set goals, a directive or objective, but one fails to begin the activities to attain it due to the fear of failure itself, then failure occurs nonetheless.
But how does that relate to leadership?
Today I'm going to take a slightly different angle; I often get people telling me in the comments that they're not a leader, don't want to be, or can't be. But here's the thing, we all do it in some manner, whether we like it or not, and so I think the statement is a little naïve. Today I'm going to use the example of a parent and child. Keep in mind, I'm not a parent, but I had parents and was a child, so I feel somewhat qualified to comment. My point is to demonstrate that we all lead in some way, and what we do can have lasting effects on those we lead.
When I was young, I heard the usual things like, don't touch it because it's hot, don't go too close to the edge, no running around the pool, colour within the lines, don't ride your bike too fast, don't jump out of the top of the tree and a million other things. Did I listen? Well yeah, sometimes I did, and on those occasions I didn't I sometimes avoided pain, humiliation and chastisement, sometimes not. I learned though. My parents were trying to lead me in the right direction, to teach me a few lessons.
My parents also encouraged freedom of thought and action though, they didn't always stay within the box themselves, the parameters that were set. They tried new things and undertook actions that held them at risk because they had the possibility of success. They had to work hard to provide for us kids and, with not much to go around, had to try things that had the chance to financially improve the situation. They never risked it all, but certainly stepped outside their comfort zone on many occasions.
My parents weren't leaders per se, but they led by example, worked towards bringing me up as well as possible and to promote the ability to have the right thoughts and attitudes that would then lead me to the actions and results I wanted. So, I guess they were leaders after all.
The quote this week suggests that playing it safe, not attempting a thing, will keep one in a comfortable place; if one never attempts something they can't fail at it and because failure doesn't feel good it affords a degree of satisfaction - the satisfaction of not failing. But...if nothing is attempted nothing can be achieved either.
Failure isn't something people should be afraid of in my opinion; in fact, it should be embraced.
My father used to tell me that, failures prepare me to be the right person to accept success, and he was right. I've failed often, adjusted and tried again - It's a constant cycle for me. Sure, sometimes the second, third and fourth attempts are failures too, but each brings me closer to success and that makes the failure worthwhile.
I can't count the amount of times I set myself to a task as a chid and I'd go at it like a junkyard dog after an intruder. I've done some many things that ended in abject failure, and loads of pain and embarrassment but I also achieved many things that I look back on with pride and helped me become the man I am today, for better or worse. Sure, playing it safe would have cost me less bumps, scrapes and bruises, but what would the cost of not attempting things in life had have on me and my journey?
We are not all leaders, however need to lead ourselves through our own lives with thoughts, attitudes and actions nonetheless. We have choices to make along the way and one of the most important is, should I attempt it; should I try? If that question is answered correctly failures may, and probably will, happen; a person may err. But...Putting oneself in danger of achieving a positive result is the best way to achieve a positive result - Life is too short not to try, fail and try again.
If you have any thoughts on this leadership quote, experiences of your own, or questions please feel free to comment below.
Design and create your ideal life, don't live it by default - Tomorrow isn't promised so be humble and kind
I think the biggest misconception about success is that it is void of failures. If success were to be a bottle, you would find many failures in it. Because to grow into success, you just have to be fed up with some failures; it is how we learn.
We are bound to make mistakes, especially when we are new to things. But what makes us better is when we learn from our mistakes and grow with them. To grow, you must learn to acknowledge the failed attempts as stepping stones. No one really becomes an expert, or even a great leader, by being successful over time.
And being a leader is something that we have all done, and will always do, in some way or another. And there will sure be people taking cues from you. This is why one always needs to become better, if not for themselves, but for the lives you might impact. We may always be great at first, but surely we would get better if we always learned from our failures.
The truth is, "If you look for perfection, you'll never be content." Leo Tolstoy. This does not mean that complacency and mediocrity are the only ways forward. We must strive to thrive.
People seek success, that's the ultimate goal, and often see failure as a negative thing along the way. If that happens they are more likely to quit and that's never going to lead to success of any kind.
I replaced the search for perfection for the search for continual improvement many years ago and and am happier, and more successful because of it.
Thanks for your great response, I appreciate it.
I picked many points from this content but I would love to comment on this particular quote."The cautious seldom err"
I think this has a lot to do with me. Lately, I've been contemplating moving from where I am to another place because things seem stagnant but, I feel comfortable and safe and the fear of the unknown going to try a new place kept me thinking and thinking without taking a step.
Really, if nothing is attempted, nothing can be achieved. Good points to relate with. Thanks for this.
Yep, and this is one the reasons many people don't achieve that which they wish to achieve in life...The feeling of comfort and safety is often preferable to the feelings that being outside one's comfort zone can bring. If things feel stagnant and you're not happy with that feeling or where you are in life physically or emotionally, then it's up to you to wilfully make a change. It's a decision you ned to make, and not making a decision in a decision in itself. So, you have the power to affect change. If you want to.
Absolutely. Thanks
For me,failure is the most important thing in life. If we don't fail, we will not know what will the next step that we need to take. We will not figure out how can we survive in this kind of thing again if we are afraid to fail. The only reason why we fail, because we take the risk. But behind that, it's good since we tried. At least, next time we can prepare for the another idea of ours by not being afraid to fail for our success.
I like how you think and believe, with this mindset, a person is better placed to launch into greater results. The right mindset and attitude will always make it so.
Thanks for your comment.
You mentioned something earlier, you said you think it's naive when someone says they are not leaders. I am in that group of people, to be honest.
However, you've shown me a different perspective on it. How can we say we are not leaders when we have our life to lead?
Indeed, if we don't attempt a thing, we won't fail at it but we won't achieve anything at the end of it all. I agree with what you said about embracing failure.
When we fail, it's always good to look on the bright side; We learn from our mistakes and get insights into the right approach.
Sometimes I take some calculated risks but I still feel scared and ask myself, what if this doesn't work out the way I want it to 😰
I notice that sometimes, taking risks gives us a push to do our best. You know when there is nothing to keep you motivated and there are things lined up for you to accomplish, taking a certain risk
would give one the right amount of push...If one fails again, it would just be an opportunity to keep learning and doing better.
Failure should also be seen as a ladder we climb to get to the top. It's not easy but we just need to have the right mindset about it.
People generally give leader the definition of being someone who leads others, and it's true, but when broken right down I don't believe that's the only perspective on it. For us as individuals to lead a good life we must lead ourselves and so...were all leaders. I'm glad that your perspective has shifted slightly n this point.
I like everything you say in this comment including failure is a ladder. I like that a lot. ✅
Exactly, thanks for the insightful words.
It's all thanks to your post which was insightful for me.😊