Here’s the hard truth: if you’re playing it safe, you’re not leading, you’re just babysitting the status quo.
At some point, every audacious leader fails, gets rejected, and questions their entire existence. It’s uncomfortable, but guess what? If you’ve never face-planted in public, you’ve probably never pushed hard enough.
The problem? We’ve been spoon-fed this nonsense that leadaaaaers must always be polished, perfect, and in control. But leadership isn’t about looking good, it’s about showing up, even when it’s messy.
And right now, with everything happening, political chaos, economic meltdowns, institutions gutting diversity efforts, we need leaders who can take risks, fail up (not down), and get back up swinging.
🔥 Fail Up, Not Down
Too many leaders hold back, waiting for the perfect moment to take a stand. Spoiler: that moment doesn’t exist.
Martin Luther King Jr. didn’t wait until civil rights were popular. He got arrested, vilified, and still kept going. Nelson Mandela? Locked up for 27 years before reshaping a nation.
Every game-changing leader you admire? They failed, publicly, painfully, repeatedly. But they didn’t fail down; they failed up. They turned setbacks into momentum, losses into wisdom, rejection into resilience.
So what’s our excuse?
⚡ How to Fail Up Like a Leader
1️⃣ Reframe failure as proof of courage – If you’re not failing, you’re not trying hard enough. Leadership isn’t about avoiding risk; it’s about embracing it.
2️⃣ Own your failures before someone else does – People don’t trust perfect leaders. They trust the ones who fess up, learn, and keep moving. You want credibility? Start with honesty.
3️⃣ Fail fast, fail forward – Stop wallowing. What went wrong? What’s the lesson? Adjust and move. Speed matters.
🎯 What’s the Worst That Can Happen?
Let’s be real, what’s the actual worst-case scenario? You get it wrong. You look foolish. A LinkedIn warrior with a business coach certificate calls you “misguided” in the comments. And then what?
You move. You adapt. You grow. That’s leadership.
Because here’s the truth: success isn’t about never failing, it’s about failing better. Like Samuel Beckett said:
“Try again. Fail again. Fail better.”
So the next time fear creeps in, ask yourself: What’s scarier, failing or never even trying?
🔗 Time to stop playing small? Let’s talk.
📅 Book a free 30-minute consultancy session: calendly.com/g-rhamie
🌍 More insights at: rockstoneconsultancy.com
#FailUp #AudaciousLeadership #FearlessLeadership #FailForward #GrowthMindset #LeadBoldly