“Failure is not an option!” It is the phrase that so many of us who serve in the military have been indoctrinated into believing, especially when the stakes are the highest. However, as renown author and speaker John C. Maxwell states in his book Failing Forward, “The terrible truth is that all roads to achievement lead through the land of failure. It has stood firmly between every human being who had a dream and the realization of that dream.  The good news is that anyone can make it through failure.”¹ In the 5^thEdition of their book Leadership: A Communication Perspective, Michael Hackman and Craig Johnson further explain, “Typical leaders ‘fail backwards’ by blaming others, repeating their errors, setting unrealistically high expectations, internalizing their disappointments, and quitting. Successful leaders ‘fail forward’ by taking responsibility for their errors and learning from them, maintaining a positive attitude, taking new risks, and persevering.”² These are the attributes I have noticed in leaders I admire, and they are the characteristics we must absorb if we are to turn our failures into success.

Throughout my career, I have experienced many failures, and I have learned failures are nothing more than valleys of rough terrain containing hard course corrections we must traverse in order to reach and summit the mountains of success.  This is a lesson and a perspective that accepts (1) humility and learning are the primers for success, (2) failure is not the enemy…fear is the enemy, (3) resiliency is not the key; perseverance is the key, and (4) we capitalize on failures by using them as teachable moments to build a legacy of success.

The first principle of turning your failure into success is accepting that humility and learning are the primers for success. If you are not humble, then you cannot truly become teachable in order to learn what you must do to succeed. Simply put, hubris is the antithesis of humility, but humility and learning are the antecedents of success. I learned this lesson serving as the Combined Joint Forces Land Component Command Targeting Officer-In-Charge for the First Infantry Division in Iraq.  Prior to taking the job, I had already served as a Brigade S2, a Battalion S3, and a Battalion Executive Officer (XO).  I felt pretty confident in my abilities, but I would soon be humbled by one of the most complicated adversaries I ever faced…ISIS in Iraq.

For the first two months of my deployment, I was failing to systematically execute my duties to help solve a wicked tactical and operational problem. It was not until I truly humbled myself, learned from the advice of my G2, and changed my section’s processes that my team was able to realize success.  In fact, the success was so significant that it built shared understanding across the area of operation, increased mutual trust between conventional and unconventional targeting officers, and created fusion of analysis.  I learned the Rule of the B’s: You can either become bitter or become better.  In my experience, the choice to become better ultimately helped my team achieve success. I recognized that if we humble ourselves and learn from our failures, we not only enable our success but also the success of everyone around us.

The second principle is understanding failure is not the enemy…fear is.  Failures are isolated incidences.  Failure is not final, but it can be if we allow the unhealthy fear associated with it to consume us.  The fear of failure leads to the paralysis of inaction or the response of excessive unfocused action.  Both may merit momentary satisfaction to get through a failure experience, but neither method enables turning failure into sustainable success.  In fact, the aforementioned responses undermine confidence and cause one to limit their future potential based upon their past mistakes.

As a captain I was chosen for Special Forces Assessment and Selection, but I failed to pass the Qualification Course after being selected.  I was devasted because I allowed a momentary failure to define my own future potential. But after listening to counsel from great mentors, I realized the value of perspective, and I removed the fear of failing at other possible achievements in my career.  I began my path in a new branch, finished my Master’s degree with a 3.9 GPA, promoted early to Major and graduated on the Commandant’s List at the Command General Staff College.  It was not easy, but I did not let the failure in my past dictate the success of my future. I had to open my mind to other possibilities.  In his book Rich Dad Poor Dad, Robert Kiyosaki states, “What intensifies fear and desire is ignorance…a human’s life is a struggle between ignorance and illumination…once a person stops searching for information and knowledge of one’s self, ignorance sets in.  That struggle is a moment-to-moment decision- to learn to open or close one’s mind.”³ Failure can only bring self-awareness to help us open our mind, but it is our own choice not to let the fear associated with failure close our mind and incorrectly define our future.

The third principle is understanding the key is not resiliency; the key is perseverance.  Aligned with the first and second principles, the third is a belief that you are not a victim.  You are a victor.  If you think like one, you will become one.  This is an idea echoed by Jim Collin’s book Good to Great when he discusses Level 5 leadership. He calls it the highest form of leadership defined by leaders who build “enduring greatness through a paradoxical blend of personal humility and professional will…It is very important to grasp that Level 5 leadership is not just about humility and modesty. It is equally about ferocious resolve, and almost stoic determination to do whatever needs to be done to make the company great.”⁴ I would further learn this resolve in Ranger school after being recycled from the final Swamp phase back to the initial Darby phase.  I learned the Strong Ranger mentality was not going to cut it.  I had to relentlessly become better. I had to persevere and encourage myself.  After six months encompassing both the winter and summer seasons, I finally graduated. It prepared me for the 16-month deployment to Afghanistan as an Infantry Platoon leader.  What was the real reward?  Building a tight-knit platoon that accomplished all of our missions and bringing everyone home alive…a result I never taken for granted.  You see, too often we talk about learning to be resilient. But resiliency is not the key, we have to be determined. We must overcome and persevere.  This requires more than just bouncing back…you have to bounce forward.  We must resolve to succeed, and that resolve is nothing more than a relentless spirit of perseverance.  For, “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trail, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” (James 1:12).

Finally, capitalize on your failures by using them as teachable moments to build a legacy of success in your life and the lives of others.  This is the final and, perhaps, the most essential part of turning failure into success because it replicates victory along multiple lines of effort.  Peers, subordinates, and superiors can all learn and be encouraged by your experience with failure to overcome their own. In his book “Leading on Empty,” Wayne Cordiero calls this person a Titus referencing the Biblical example of “someone who will offer an objective viewpoint of you, your life, your gifts and your passions.”⁵ This person is often a mentor or life coach to help bring perspective to tough situations. This principle implores us to be a Titus.  As a Battalion S3 and XO, I would hold small sessions with my Captains to share the lessons I learned during my command time to help coach and prepare my subordinates with the problems they encountered.  Consequently, they were well prepared for their command, and later thanked me on how much those sessions helped prepare them for success.  This type of mentorship is an investment that helps break the fear of failure, and hopefully inspires the positive risk-taking innovation that will create a better Army.

We are all going to experience failure, but we have to learn how to handle it. It takes authentic leaders to share their experiences to build legacies of success from failure, and to recognize although failure may be a consequence, success can always be the end state.

MAJ Jason Quash is a graduate of the Virginia Military Institute, and has a Masters Degree in Organizational Leadership from Regent University. He is currently a student at the Joint and Combined Warfighting School and serves as the Joint Target Intelligence Development (JTID) Deputy Branch Chief in the CENTCOM J2-Joint Targets Division. He has previously served as a Brigade S2, a Battalion S3 and Executive Officer, and the Secretary of the General Staff for the 1^stInfantry Division. He has served in Afghanistan, Iraq, Japan, and Korea.

1. Maxwell, John C. (2000) Failing Forward: Turning Mistakes Into Stepping Stones for Success(pp.18). United States: HarperCollins
2. Hackman, M. and Johnson, C. (2009) Leadership: A Communication Perspective(pp.378). Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press Inc.
3. Kiyosaki, R.T and Lechter, S.L. (1997) Rich Dad, Poor Dad(pp.46-47). New York, NY: Grand Central Publishing
4. Collins, J. (2001) Good to Great(pp.20,30). New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
5. Cordeiro,W. (2009) Leading on Empty (pp.153). Bloomington, MN: Bethany House Publishers