This is why you should publicize your failures and not be ashamed

This is why you should publicize your failures and not be ashamedThis is why you should publicize your failures and not be ashamedIts been one year since I departureed theFamous Failures podcast, where I interview the worlds most interesting people about their failures and what they learned from them. As you might imagine, asking guests to appear on the show has made for some interesting conversations.Hey Dan, I have a podcast where I interview failures. Youd be perfect for it.Surprisingly though, most people Ive approached have been eager to appear on the show because they know firsthand what many neglect Anyone whos done anything meaningful has failed in some fashion. Havinginterviewed40 titans on the podcast- including top entrepreneurs, Olympic medalists, and New York Times bestselling authors- one thing is clear Everyone- and I mean, everyone- is a walking imperfection.But most of us are terrible at owning up to our goofs. ur public image is synonymous with our self-worth. We pu ff ourselves up and create curated portrayals of our imperfect and flawed lives. We round off the edges, airbrush the negatives, and present a perfect image to the world devoid of any failures.Even when we talk about our failures, we do so in a flattering light. Our response resembles the typical answer to the much-dreaded Whats your biggest weakness? interview question I work too hard.I get it. Its painful to fail. Airing your failures can compound the pain. But the opposite approach- denial and avoidance- make things worse. When we pretend we didnt fail, when we reframe our failures as successes, or when we hold funerals for failed startups complete with bagpipes and DJs spinning records- as Silicon Valley does- we dont learn anything.In order to learn and grow, we must acknowledge our failures, without celebrating them. Take, for example, the approach of Sara Blakely, the founder and CEO of Spanx. She went from selling faxgert machines door-to-door to becoming the worlds youngest self-made female billionaire. At company-wide meetings, Blakelyhighlights her own oops moments. Likewise, Ed Catmull- the president of Pixar and Disney Animation Studios- talks about the mistakes hes made at new employee orientations We do not want people to assume that because were successful, everything we do is right, heexplains.. The economist Tyler Cowen wrote a detailed analysis of how, in the lead-up to the 2007 financial crisis, he badly underestimated the chance that something systemic had gone wrong in the American economy. I regret that I was wrong, Cowenwrote, and I regret that I was overconfident in my belief that I was right.Acknowledging failures is particularly important for role models- leaders, teachers, and celebrities. We tend to put them on a pedestal. We assume theyre superheroes with skills and talents that mere mortals lack. We believe their success was predestined and cooked into their DNA.But if we saw the messy reality behind the seemingly untarnished gla mour, we would be more comfortable to make mistakes and less likely to become paralyzed when failures start to hit. With their failures revealed, our role models look more human and less divine.This is why Wharton professor Adam Grant opens his very first class with a story about his biggest failures. I want students to feel comfortable challenging me, asking me questions, seeking help, and asking advice, Granttoldme.Leading by example is cliche- because it works.Researchshowsthat people pay close attention to the leaders behavior since they depend on the leader for recognition. Research alsoshowsthat people look to the leader to take the first step in initiating a change. If leaders fail to acknowledge their failures- if theres a perception that the leader can do no wrong- its unrealistic to expect employees to take the risk of challenging the leader or revealing their own failures.Considera studyof sixteen hospitals with top-tier cardiac surgery departments. The cardiac teams led by surgeons who were more willing to acknowledge their own fallibility were the most successful at implementing an innovative technology for conducting surgery. For example, one surgeon repeatedly told his team I need to hear from you because Im likely to miss things. Another surgeon would say, I screwed up. My judgment was bad in this case.What made these messages effective was their repetition.Entrenched behaviors dont change with one impassioned speech. As team members heard these messages over and over again, they developed the psychological safety to speak up- even in an environment as hierarchical as heart surgery. There are no sacred cows, a member of one surgery team explained, If somebody needs to be told something, then they are told- surgeon or orderly.Whether youre in the operating room, the boardroom, or the classroom, the principle is the same The road to success is filled with potholes. Youre better off acknowledging them than pretending they dont exist.Ozan Varol is a rocket scientist turned law professor and bestselling author.Click hereto download a free copy of his e-book, The Contrarian Handbook 8 Principles for Innovating Your Thinking. Along with your free e-book, youll get the Weekly Contrarian - a newsletter that challenges conventional wisdom and changes the way we look at the world (plus access to exclusive content for subscribers only).Thisarticlefirst appeared onOzanVarol.com.