Benefits of Failure on Goal Setting

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Typically, failure is something people avoid. It can be painful, career limiting, and daunting. But failure can also offer significant rewards, and contrary to common belief, you may achieve your goals (or New Year’s resolutions) more effectively when you find ways to embrace failure.

Failure has many benefits: from fueling learning and new relationships to developing motivation and confidence. And there are some specific ways you can lean on an experience: ways to practice failure to achieve success.

Failure is integral to success

In fact, failure is part of success; and if you never fail, you are probably not trying hard enough or you may be deceiving yourself. Failing means you’ve achieved a new goal and can hone your approach for your next hit. Failure means that you have had the opportunity to learn about the skills or abilities you need to develop. And failing means you’ve shown commitment to something that matters to you.

In fact, if you rarely fail, you may lose motivation. Studies at the University of Arizona have found that there is an optimal failure rate: If you fail 15% of the time, you will improve your learning, keep trying and stay motivated. There’s a Goldilocks factor at work here: a “right” amount of failure. If you always fail or always succeed, you will tend to lose motivation; but when your aspiration is at hand, but with the possibility of loss and the need to stretch – the 85/15 rule – you will remain there to achieve your realization.

Also, failure can increase your chances of success. A Northwestern University study found evidence of causal connections between failure and success. In a sample of 1,184 situations, when people tried again after they failed to get grant funding on the first try, they were significantly more likely to succeed on subsequent attempts.

Start with clear goals

As described, it is helpful to embrace failure because you will stay motivated and increase your chances of achieving your aspirations, but your goal should still be to be successful. There is a subtle but important difference in how you think about what you are pursuing. Especially in a competition, it is better to set a goal to win rather than set a goal to avoid failure.

A Penn State study found that when people failed in a situation where they hoped to “not lose” rather than win, they felt worse emotionally and struggled to stay motivated. Strive to win the promotion, not just to avoid getting beaten by a colleague.

How to embrace failure

There are a few evidence-based ways to befriend failure and reap the rewards:

Let go of a sense of fear. Remind yourself that failure is a part of life and confirm that your failure means that you are looking for something that matters to you. According to a study published in the British Journal of Educational Psychology, when people were afraid of failure, they tended to adopt limited or too easy goals in an effort to protect their ego. They were also more likely to cheat, robbing themselves of feedback and learning. On the other hand, when they were not afraid of failure, they pursued goals that were centered on their interests and that contributed to their growth and development. It has also made them more likely to use effective strategies to be successful. Focus on learning. If you never fail, you don’t have the opportunity to learn so deeply because you succeeded, patted yourself on the back, and kept moving. But failure can be a terrific source for learning about situations, yourself and your team. Research from the University of Colorado found that when organizations lost, they learned a lot more from failures. Losing a customer or failing to be first to market with the new product can cause a re-evaluation of processes, systems and approaches, all of which can contribute to future success. If your team fails to win over the customer’s business, consider whether you can learn more about the market to help you succeed next time. Or, if you can’t get the job, consider how you can get better results in the interview process. Learning is one of the biggest benefits of failure, so relying on failure basically means using a loss for the information it can provide to win next time. Feel the pain. It is a myth that you should avoid experiencing the pain of loss or failure. In fact, research from Ohio State University found that when people focused on their emotions after a loss, they were more likely to do better next time. Too often, people tend to rationalize losses and process them cognitively, telling themselves that the loss didn’t matter or was beyond their control. These are efforts to protect their ego. But when people focused on how bad the failure was, they were more likely to motivate themselves and figure out how to do better next time. So rather than avoiding the sting of a negative performance rating or ignoring the pain of losing your job, think about how it feels and how you can learn and improve next time. Be positive. You can also take advantage of failure by managing your own thought processes. Studies from the University of Kent found that when people denied failure, disengaged from the situation, or vented negatively, they were sidetracked by happiness and satisfaction. Instead, when they tried to see their failure in a more positive light (for example, based on what they could take away as lessons learned) or when they accepted it or when they used humor, these strategies tended to help maintain their happiness and motivation. Therefore, when you fail, keep in mind everything you can learn from the experience. This kind of positive view of failure will contribute to your ability to be successful next time around.

There is no need to idealize failure or seek it out, but if you are working hard and striving for the next big thing, you will definitely experience it. Embrace failure and lean on experience. These answers will help you improve all the time and pave the way for a fantastic year in which you achieve your goals and achieve your purposes.

Tracy Brower, PhD, is a sociologist focused on the happiness and fulfillment of working life. She works for Steelcase and is the author of two books, The Secrets to Happiness at Work and Bringing Work to Life by Bringing Life to Work.

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