Reframing failure: sometimes you have to step back to step up
I’m an avid Peloton fan. I enjoy the rides, the strength training programs, and I’ve even learned to embrace yoga. But, the thing I love most about Peloton is how the instructors embrace motivational psychology to keep their clients engaged and coming back for more. One of my favorite mantras that the instructors use is this: Sometimes you have to step back to step up.
In fitness, this means embracing rest and recovery so that you can lift heavier or run faster in the future. In academia, stepping back might be a pause to reassess a stalled project or rework a grant, or even taking a break altogether to avoid burnout. Sometimes you have to step back to step up. Keeping this mantra at the forefront of your mind can help you focus on what’s in front of you even when it feels like you’re moving backwards.
Failure in academia, as in life, is inevitable. Papers get rejected, grants fall short of the fundable range, unexpected data findings bring more questions than answers. But somehow, success is the expected outcome in academia. Meanwhile, failure—a natural companion and often a necessary component on the road to success—is not normalized, rarely discussed beyond hushed 1-on-1 conversations with your work bestie. Consequently, it can be easy to internalize failure and let it slowly erode your self-worth. But, failure can be a powerful learning tool that, if embraced, can lead you to higher levels of success.
Failure is simply data, and as academics, don’t we all love data? If you can examine what the data are showing you, you can find a new path forward. For example, if you’re not hitting your goals, do you need clearer time management strategies to support your productivity? Does the unfunded grant need pilot data? Do your project goals need to be tweaked to have more direct impact for the communities you serve? Failure provides an opportunity to embrace a growth mindset, seek out ways to learn and improve, and redirect your efforts in ways that align with your metrics for success. Failure gives you space to step back so you can step up.
If you’re a professor or a PI, not only is it important for you to embrace failure, it’s important for you to model failure for your trainees, as paradoxical as that may seem. Share your own setbacks openly in lab meetings. Talk about the grant that didn’t get funded and brainstorm with your group about next steps. This vulnerability builds trust and shows trainees that failure isn’t shameful, it’s just part of the process. Normalizing failure for your trainees will also reduce the stress and anxiety they feel as they approach their own work. They will feel safe enough to ask their peers for help, or to be honest with you when a mistake has occurred. They will also feel free to try new things and to explore new ideas, knowing that you support their journey. Helping your trainees learn to grow from failure will eventually lead them to higher levels of understanding and innovation, and that’s a gift they will pay forward to their future mentees.
Failure happens. It’s impossible to achieve success—real, long-term, sustained success—without it. Each time you overcome failure, you build resilience. The next time failure occurs, you’ll remember that you previously outlasted and overcame failure before, and you’ll do it again. You can lean on that confidence as you experiment with what to do next. As you continue the cycle of failure and success, you will learn more about yourself, and become increasingly comfortable in your skills to try new and difficult things.
Failure isn’t the end; it’s the starting point on the road to progress, and ultimately to success. Coaching can help you reframe your mindset and find your next step. Let’s talk—book a free discovery call today.
Next week: Aligning your work with your values
