17 Practices Of Successful Leaders Who Bounce Back From Failure

Have you experienced failure lately?  Have you done things you wish you could do over again?  Have you made some recent bad decisions?  Are you missing goals and objectives?  Are people leaving your team?  If so, you are in good company.

Many people call Malcolm Butler’s interception of the Russell Wilson pass show above the worst call in Super Bowl history.  Rather than giving the ball to Beast Mode Marshawn Lynch on the 1-yard line, the Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll called a pass play instead.  The results were devastating for the Seahawks.  The public’s evaluation of Carroll’s decision has since ranged from bewilderment to outright hostility.

In the August 3rd edition of Sports Illustrated, writer Greg Bishop does a fascinating case study of Carroll and how leaders should deal with failure and disappointment.

The following are 17 Practices Of Successful Leaders Who Bounce Back From Failure I gleaned from the article.  If you are a pastor, coach, parent, teacher, or business leader and have recently experienced failure, these points will help you.

1. Successful Leaders Who Bounce Back From Failure Have Short Memories – Carroll did not dwell on the mistake.  It would not change anything.  He grieved for one evening and then moved his focus toward the 2015 season.  He added, “If you hope I’m going to cry over the deal, I’m not.  I’ve moved past that.”
2. Successful Leaders Who Bounce Back From Failure Believe In Their Approach – This gives Carroll perspective when failure and disappointment take place.
3. Successful Leaders Who Bounce Back From Failure Do Not Confuse Decisions With Outcomes – Carroll stills believes in his decision to pass the ball rather than giving it to Lynch.  He says, “Worst possible decision?  (No) worst possible outcome.”
4. Successful Leaders Who Bounce Back From Failure Focus On What They Can Control – After February’s Super Bowl, Carroll then began re-focusing the Seahawks on their tempo, energy and attitude.
5. Successful Leaders Who Bounce Back From Failure Have Grit – Angela Duckworth, psychologist from Penn U. and frequent TED Talk speaker, says of Carroll, “I’m interested in how culture influences grit.  And Pete has very deliberately created a culture that encourages passion and perseverance – the two components of grit.”
6. Successful Leaders Who Bounce Back From Failure Put Good Systems In Place – When Carroll became head coach at USC, he began writing down everything that happened during his tenure there.  Carroll’s system was created.  His coaching then became more about a process than winning.  Pete’s system is detailed in his book Win Forever.
7. Successful Leaders Who Bounce Back From Failure Are Unselfish – During his initial head coaching job with the New England Patriots, he noticed players who were late to meetings soon began not showing up at all.  He discovered selfish acts unravel seasons.
8. Successful Leaders Who Bounce Back From Failure Are Competitive – Carroll says, “It always came back to competitiveness.”
9. Successful Leaders Who Bounce Back From Failure Do Not Treat Everyone The Same – The Seahawks have a myriad of strong personalities.  Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr and friend of Carroll says, “(Pete has a) celebration of uniqueness.”
10. Successful Leaders Who Bounce Back From Failure Bring Out The Best In Others – Carroll says, “We’re developing the human properties by reaching into people and bringing out whatever the best is they have to offer.”
11. Successful Leaders Who Bounce Back From Failure Are Unshakably Positive – Personal friend Ben Haggerty says, “Pete is one of the most vibrant, positive people I have met in my life.  He never turns it off.  There’s a definite rhythm to how he moves about his day.”
12. Successful Leaders Who Bounce Back From Failure Personalize Their Approach To Those On Their Teams – Not everyone is motivated by the same things.  Pete personalizes everyone’s development.
13. Successful Leaders Who Bounce Back From Failure Prioritize Mentoring – Intentional investment in people reverses negative momentum.  By studying elite U.S. Army forces, Carroll discovered people perform better the longer they remain in your program and under your tutelage.
14. Successful Leaders Who Bounce Back From Failure Trust Others To Help Them – Carroll allows approximately a dozen Seahawks to address concerns from within the locker room.
15. Successful Leaders Who Bounce Back From Failure Simplify – After the Super Bowl loss, Carroll eliminated all activities other than his charity work and football.
16. Successful Leaders Who Bounce Back From Failure Make Necessary Changes – Carroll learned an interesting lesson.  Winning a Super Bowl required changes.  Losing a Super Bowl requires even more changes.
17. Successful Leaders Who Bounce Back From Failure Give Hope To Others – Carroll concludes, “I want us to demonstrate resilience, which is one of the foundations of grit…We know how we’re going to do this.  Here we go.”

With the resigning of many of the team’s top players and the incentive they now have, the Seattle Seahawks are my pick to win this year’s Super Bowl.  Pete Carroll would certainly agree with me.

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