From Lemons to Lemonade: Squeeze Every Last Drop of Success Out of Your Mistakes

Chapter 3. When to “Pull the Plug” to Maximize Personal Growth

“THERE IS NO TERROR IN THE BANG, ONLY IN THE ANTICIPATION OF IT.”

—ALFRED HITCHCOCK

“SUCCESS IS NOT FINAL, FAILURE IS NOT FATAL: IT IS THE COURAGE TO CONTINUE THAT COUNTS.”

—SIR WINSTON CHURCHILL

The emotional reaction to a failure does not occur only at the time of the failure event. As you explored in the previous chapter, the emotions triggered by project failure can linger long after the event to obstruct learning. You can use the oscillation approach (going back and forth from “working through” to “restoration”) to manage these “post-failure” emotions so that they are less painful and shorter and provide the basis of a valuable learning experience. However, emotions can be ...