Once upon a time, there was an operations executive, much like yourself. He faced the daunting task of picking up the pieces after a technology implementation failed. And he needed to launch a new tool in its place. In a coaching session he said:
“The team is skeptical, and I can’t blame them. Our last rollout flopped, hard. The new tool has been vetted and pilot tested. But I can’t shake off the feeling that they have lost faith in my leadership.”
Feeling wary after a failure is common. But when self-doubt creeps in, you can lose touch with your strengths and your drive.
For this executive, the journey back to confidence began with a single, transformative thought.
In this episode I’ll share you a practical strategy to rebuild your confidence so you can make it through the minefield of another implementation. Time to turn your setback into a comeback.
Find the full transcript at yourfuturerealized.com/31.
Hey Ops Execs,
Understanding the Impact of Failed Implementations on Mindset
When a project crashes and burns, it can disrupt not only your workflow but also that of your team, undermining confidence, and focus. You’ve got a lot of things in your way.
But it can also make you start to doubt yourself, which can become the biggest obstacle you face.
And, you have a choice. You can stay stuck in setback mode. Or you choose to see these failures as vital learning opportunities. They can offer valuable lessons that can strengthen your future path.
By reframing the failure as a chance to sharpen your edge, you can cultivate a growth mindset that pushes you forward and inspires your team.
But depending on the size and scope of your failure, it might not be so easy to just jump from thinking
‘Ugh, I failed’ to
Yay, I’ve got an opportunity to grow here!’
This is why I cringe whenever I hear people say things like “think positively!” I’m guessing you do, too. I understand the urge to be uplifting and am probably guilty of it in my own life. But it can be trite or dismissive in the wrong context.
A more self-aware and gradual approach involves using a thought ladder. The thought ladder is a tool from cognitive behavioral therapy that can be useful when you've had a failure.
A thought ladder helps you change your negative thoughts into positive ones step by step. You move up gradually from self-doubt to more useful and positive thoughts.
From ANTs to Empowerment: Getting Ahold of Your Mindset After Failure
You start by spotting your automatic negative thoughts, or ANTs (and I love this acronym!). ANTs are those pesky unhelpful thoughts that creep through your mind at the worst times. Thoughts like:
- “I can’t do this.”
- “One more mistake and everything will collapse.”
- "My team doesn’t trust me.”
If you let these thoughts linger and multiply, they can overwhelm you like, well, an ant infestation. This can harm your health, your work, and your team’s dynamics. But once you’ve identified the ANT that’s causing trouble, you can tinker with your thinking and morph it using this thought ladder.
This method helps you move from negative to more practical and positive thoughts, step by step. You stay on each rung until it feels comfortable, and then you reach up to the next one.
Then eventually and only when you’re ready, you can reach a place where your thoughts are more realistic, forward thinking, and positive.
How One Operations Executive Turned Failure into Success
To give you a practical sense of how it works, let’s check back with that executive who was recovering from a failed implementation.
The thought ladder that he created and worked with over the coming weeks went something like this.
1. Step One: His ANT or the starting point that sets off his feelings of doubt was “My team doesn’t trust me.”
2. Step Two: His second step was a thought with a slightly different spin: “My team might have concerns that I’m not yet aware of.” This allowed for some objectivity, and the possibility that the issue isn’t a flaw in his character.
3. Step Three: Then the third rung was a thought that acknowledged his effort: “I am committed to understanding and addressing my team’s concerns.”
4. His thought ladder had about seven or eight rungs, and it took time and intention to work through each one. His top thought is: “I am a trustworthy leader who actively listens and responds to my team’s needs.”
By engaging with this process, he began to feel curious and determined instead of scared or avoidant. It not only helped him recover from failure but opened new ways of thinking and working with his team.
The question I’ll leave you with today is: What is one automatic negative thought you need to let go of to move forward from past failures to embrace the opportunities that lie ahead?
If you tend to get stuck blaming yourself when things go wrong, check out episode 11, “The Secret Ops Execs Use to Trust Themselves More.” You’ll find it at yourfuturerealized.com/11.
You can’t stop the chaos, but you can change the game.