Signature Loss

In the sports world, struggling teams are constantly searching for that “signature win” to help put them back on the right track.  A great victory against a quality opponent will allow that team to gain much-needed confidence and turn their season around.  Most importantly, it will help erase the sting of the previous losses.  In the same way, there is nothing sweeter than savoring a signature win in our own lives.  Perhaps a landmark deal you had been doggedly pursuing finally comes in the door.  Or you hire a key resource that will help propel your business to new levels.  Or your child finally breaks through and accomplishes a goal he or she had been struggling with for years.  All of these victories are cause for celebration and it is important to recognize them and cherish those moments (See 2/17/15 Resilient Worker Post: http://www.resilientworker.net/take-time-to-celebrate-your-victories-both-large-and-small/).

To carry the sports analogy further, some of the greatest teams in history actually turned their seasons around after a signature loss, not a signature win.  A loss causes great teams to focus, adjust priorities, and come back stronger and hungrier for success.  But when many of us experience a loss in our business or personal lives, our natural defense mechanism kicks in to erase the painful memories.  After a period of sulking, we want to move on as quickly as possible.  In many ways, this is a healthy response  and it is much better than curling into a ball and giving up entirely.  But sometimes we can learn more from a loss than from a win.  Before moving on, it is important to analyze the reasons for our failure to ensure we won’t blindly go down that path again.  Why did we lose the big sale and what could we have done better?  Why do our expenses outpace our income and how can we correct it?  Why did that relationship fall by the wayside and how could we have handled our interactions differently?  Why did we perform poorly on the test and how can we study more effectively in the future?  Before we conquer new challenges to ease the pain of defeat, we must understand why we failed in the first place.  This moment of honesty and introspection is not always easy, but it is the key to a resilient life.  A significant setback can devastate an individual and cause a loss of confidence and enthusiasm that lasts a lifetime.   But if you stay resilient and remain open to change, a signature loss can be the catalyst you need to turn your life around.

Some of the most successful business people in the world failed multiple times before striking it rich.  Henry Ford’s first two car companies went belly up and left him nearly penniless.  Turns out Ford Motor Company had some legs.  Bill Gates’ first company, Traf-O-Data, fizzled out shortly after he dropped out of Harvard.  But Microsoft might just be here to stay.  And last, but certainly not least, Colonel Sanders was turned down by over a thousand restaurants before he finally got it right and created the most delicious chicken in the world.  Perseverance was only part of their story.  All three of these American business titans analyzed their failures, tweaked their original ideas, and came back stronger than ever.  A signature loss (or losses!) is exactly what they needed to ultimately win.

You learn more from losing than you do from winning. A loss gets your attention and motivates you to get from where you are to where you want to go!–Morgan Wooten

And so it is with all of us.  I do not wish failure upon anyone.  Winning is just a whole lot more fun (How is that for insight?)  But failure and loss are an inevitable part of life.  It is the ability to learn from these failures and move forward that defines our character and shapes our destiny.  The discipline and grit required to process that loss makes us hungrier for future success.  It will not be easy.  You have to muster the strength to learn from your failures and summon the intestinal fortitude to come back stronger than ever.  But you can do it.  Finding that signature loss might just be the greatest victory of your life!

Until next week, keep smiling.