Why You Should Document Your Failures - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Why You Should Document Your Failures - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Do you do this today? Do you take the time to document your failures? Or, do you sweep past them? My recommendation … take the time! It’s not to memorialize them or make them part of your LinkedIn profile (but, they may be useful for interviews and mentoring). Rather, document your failures to learn from them. “Its failure that gives you the proper perspective on success.” ~  Ellen DeGeneres Take the time to document your failures Spend a few minutes to really think about the following points. This isn’t the time to blame others. That might be part of the process and it can often be cathartic, but this is the time to identify, understand, and evaluate. As Stephen Covey once said, “I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions.” If your decisions caused you to work with specific people or companies … those points should go into your understanding process. Take time to evaluate these points objectively: What worked? What Didn’t? Can you determine why? (consider  the SSK model for evaluating scenarios) It may be painful. No one likes to fail. (well, most people dont like to fail. Some seem to have made an art of it). But, that’s a different story. When you document your failures: Its a Learning Experience Its a Teachable Moment When you make a mistake … remember this one thing: Own It! This isn’t to say you need to take the blame for every foible and failing. Rather, if you were in a position to influence an action and through a fault on your end something went wrong … Own It. When you do you will stand out in your career. And, as noted in this post OMG I just made a HUGE error … you can take one critical step and just Own It! You will earn respect and set yourself apart from those that choose to blame. Bonus: Own it … AND … have a proposed solution  at the ready. Go ahead … Document your Failures. “We are all failures at least the best of us are.” ~ J.M. Barrie Youll be better for it. Youll know what you can do. Youll have a better perspective on how that particular failure (aka experience) worked. Youll be a better leader too.