[2021-12-09] An archive of losses
Today's newsletter from James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, included this quote: "Every winner has an archive of losses, but each attempt creates the chance for a victory."
I was struck by Clear's choice of words: He speaks not of a loss or a drawer of losses but rather of an archive of losses. This conjures up images of an extensive collection of losses.
My own archive of losses would include the many mistakes I made as a leader of people. I can easily recall occasions when I didn't properly address conflicts between employees, when I acted on a complaint based on one person's version of reality rather than the views of all parties, when I felt overwhelmed by the level of toxicity in a team.
When I failed in my role as a manager, I would beat myself up—for days or weeks. But that painful self-awareness was the first step in learning what errors to avoid and how to bring about positive change. As Maya Angelou says, "When you know better, you do better."
Each failure as a leader created the possibility for a victory as a leader. I often said that leadership was like fashion: I tried on various styles in my early years as a boss, influenced by approaches my colleagues took to managing people. In time, I figured out my own style and adopted a model based on respect, empathy, kindness, engagement and coaching.
When we look at someone else's success, it's so easy to ignore the many attempts they no doubt made before landing on the winning formula. Clear's statement helps to put into perspective that another person's victory may look easy, but may have come only after a whole archive of losses. Each attempt created the chance for a victory.
