Why Failure Is an Option

I recently read a post written by Mark Pollard and one particular point stood out for me. He mentioned that one thing he looks for in people is action - what a person, driven by curiosity, does. Does he/she get up and do something, or does he just watch from the sidelines? He wants a person who at least makes an attempt (regardless of the outcome) rather than someone who only talks in theory. He says, and I quote, "I want to know what you tried and failed at. There's rich insight in those failures." His philosophy mirrors that of Lloyd Jones who said, "The men who try to do something and fail are infinitely better than those who try to do nothing and succeed."

Those two sentences struck me, and led me to reflect on the recent round of interviews I'd gone through during my post-MBA job search. It made me realize that the companies I interviewed with - or to be more accurate, the people working in those companies who interviewed me - were the opposite of Mr. Pollard. Rather than being interested in what I'd tried and failed at, they were more interested in what I did right and what I've accomplished so far.

Don't get me wrong, there's nothing bad about wanting to hear of someone's successes. But it's also boring. And sometimes I can't help but imagine that, with such an accomplishment-centric attitude, an employee selection process is much like a competition among roosters: which one can strut the best and the most?

There's nothing wrong with wanting to hire the best person for your company. But really, would you want to hire someone who's known nothing but success all his life? Sometimes it's more telling to find out about a person's true character and work ethic by hearing all about his failures and weaknesses - because then you find out how he copes with adversity, learns from his mistakes, and turns things around for the better. Isn't that what business is all about as well? Here I quote the wise words from Leo Buscaglia: "We seem to gain wisdom more readily through our failures than through our successes. We always think of failure as the antithesis of success, but it isn't. Success often lies just the other side of failure."

Besides, failure is sometimes a necessary roadblock on the road to ultimate success. Roger Von Oech said it best. He said, "Remember the two benefits of failure. First, if you do fail, you learn what doesn't work; and second, the failure gives you the opportunity to try a new approach." At the very least, failure tells you what NOT to do the next time around, and helps you to narrow down the infinite possibilities into a smaller pool. All you have to do is get up, dust yourself off, and try again - using a different approach the next time around. Such a methodical approach is better than stumbling successfully into something on the first go - something that you'll probably never be able to replicate again.

So instead of hearing only questions such as the ones below:

1. What major challenges and problems did you face? How did you handle them? (Note: While this question may seem focused on failure, we all know that many of us treat this question as an opportunity to shine by semi-bragging about how well we dealt with a difficult situation - so I'm treating this as an achievement-based question.)

2. What was the biggest accomplishment in your previous position? (Alternatively, what is your biggest accomplishment to date?)

3. Describe a difficult work situation / project and how you overcame it.

4. Describe a time when your workload was heavy and how you handled it.

I propose that questions such as the following also be asked of the prospective employee:

1. What was the biggest failure in your previous position? (Alternatively, what is your biggest failure to date?)
2. What have you learned from your mistakes?
3. Describe a time that you failed to deliver the expected results (or failed to deliver on time), how you handled the situation, and the ultimate outcome.