Failing Forward: Your Strategic Path to Success Through Purposeful Failure

A baby falling forward and catching their balance.

As your Personal & Professional Growth Architect, I want to have a heart-to-heart conversation about something we often shy away from – failure. But not just any failure; we're talking about failing forward, a powerful concept coined by John C. Maxwell that has transformed countless lives. Since incorporating the concept into my coaching practice, I have seen a significant different in how my clients process failure and use to build success.

What is Failing Forward?

Failing forward isn't just about making mistakes; it's about strategically using those mistakes as stepping stones toward success. As Maxwell beautifully puts it, "Fail early, fail often, but always fail forward." This approach transforms failure from a roadblock into a bridge leading to your next breakthrough.

The Coaching Perspective on Strategic Failing Forward

Through my signature PARA™ framework, I partner with my clients to strategically plan for failing forward. This plan is typically part of our action and accountability planning.

• Pause: Center yourself and create space to process the experience

• Assess: Reality check the situation, your feelings, and presence

• Reflect: Identify key change points and learning opportunities

• Act: Make conscious choices within your locus of control

  
  

Let's look at three powerful examples of failing forward in action, using PARA™:

Personal Example: Imagine a mindfulness practitioner who consistently struggles to maintain a daily meditation practice. Instead of giving up, they:

• Pause to acknowledge their challenge

• Assess their current routine and barriers

• Reflect on what's working and what isn't

• Act by adjusting their practice time, environment, and approach.

  
  

  Each "failed" session becomes data for improvement.

Professional Example: A leader giving their first major presentation stumbles through it, receiving lukewarm feedback. Rather than avoiding future speaking opportunities, they:

• Pause to process the experience without judgment

• Assess specific areas of improvement

• Reflect on feedback and growth opportunities

• Act by working with a coach (hey, that's where I come in! 😊) and practicing deliberately

  
  

  Each "failure" becomes a building block for future success.

Conceptual Example: Think about learning to ride a bike. Nobody starts as an expert. The PARA™ process happens naturally:

• Pause after each fall

• Assess what caused the imbalance

• Reflect on what needs adjusting

• Act by trying again with new awareness

  
  

  Each attempt builds confidence and competence.

Feeling failure

The Alternative: When We Don't Fail Forward

Here's what typically happens when people don't embrace strategic failing forward:

• They fall into analysis paralysis, afraid to make any move

• Perfectionism becomes a shield against taking action

• Fear of failure leads to playing it safe and staying small

• Innovation and creativity get stifled

• Personal and professional growth stagnates

The Fear Factor

Let's be real – fear of failure is natural. But when we understand that failure isn't final but rather feedback, everything changes. Through my experience coaching leaders and professionals, I've seen how reframing failure as a teacher rather than a terminator creates breakthrough moments.

Your Invitation to Growth

As your coach, I'm inviting you to embrace failing forward as a strategic tool in your success journey. Remember, it's not about how many times you fall; it's about how you use each fall to rise higher. Through the PARA™ framework, we can transform your relationship with failure into a powerful catalyst for growth.

Coaching Challenge:

Answer the below questions. You can journal your response or record your answer when working independently. Likewise, use the prompts as discussion questions during your Community Group meeting or Mastermind Session. You can also use these questions with your coach.

• What's your relationship with failure?

• What would failing forward look like for you?

• How can you reframe a recent or past failure as a strategic failing forward?

Feel free to share in the comments how this view on failing forward resonate with you? I'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences!