Managing Failure
If there’s one thing I’ve learned from using the Color Code System, it’s that being blue is not always easy.
Being 36% blue and 32% white can make for an interesting combination when it comes to how you communicate and especially in how you manage failure.
As Dr. Hartman tells us blue personalities… ‘our strengths will encourage us, but our limitations will frustrate us.’
As a blue, you feel the negative more deeply than you feel the positive.
I could have named this blog, ‘You’re Only As Good As Your Last Mistake’…because that’s the way I felt last week when I messed up.
The perfectionism that runs deep in a Blue’s veins can be good and bad. It’s bad if that perfection is derived from the feeling of being insecure in one’s abilities…however, if the perfection comes from the value of creating excellence, it can work in your favor - but trust me when I say there is a fine line between the two.
Blues are fixers! Plain and simple…if something is broken a blue will find a way to fix it. We are self-disciplined experts, and life feels really good for us when we’re fixing problems and making life easier for our clients and customers.
But then…the unthinkable happens and we mess up…everything we’ve done up to that point is washed away, and the only thing we can focus on is the failure. Managing failure is hard work for a blue, because we wear guilt like a badge of honor.
The Brilliant Leader Program doesn’t just teach you how to communicate…it teaches you how to embrace your strengths and how to manage your limitations. When you understand your limitations, you are given the opportunity to work on being a better you and a better leader.
The guilt you feel when you fail comes from letting someone down.
They trusted you, and you didn’t come through.
That feeling can crush a blue personality. But when you understand those feelings and the motives behind them, you have the ability to re-frame those guilt feelings into a better position.
Yes, you messed up…yes, you feel horrible…and yes, you probably feel like you let someone down. Here’s what you should be telling yourself…
Yes, I made a mistake, because I’m human.
Once you’ve gotten past the guilt by letting yourself off the hook…look for the reasons for the failure. (Now is the time to take that highly disciplined, goal oriented strength you have, and get to the bottom of the failure.) Stop being angry at yourself, and start working on recovering.
The more energy you give to the failure, the less energy you have to work through the problem of understanding it.
If you’re interested in learning more about how the foundation of the Color Code can help you, click over to the Brilliant Leader Program and get started.
Email me and tell me what habits you have that disrupt you at work. What do you struggle with the most? Let’s have a conversation!
PS - Don’t know what your color is and want to learn more?
Click here to take your FREE Color Code Assessment!