In 1957, two engineers invented a textured wallpaper that they were sure would be a big hit. Instead, it flopped. After some modest success reusing it as insulation for greenhouses, their failures became blessings in disguise, forever changing the history of packaging and shipping worldwide, while offloading millions.
That’s because that failed wallpaper became Bubble Wrap, but only through the persistence and creativity of the inventors. Great leaders learn to recognize and maximize such opportunities. Here are 5 times when leadership challenges can be blessings in disguise.
1. When a person you hired isn’t working
No leader hires perfectly, regardless of screening methods, interview questions, and assessments. Statistically speaking, it is inevitable that you will hire someone who is lacking in culture, temperament or skills. It’s frustrating for everyone involved. But if you (or she) realize it and move on, that’s truly a blessing, because it’s neither fair nor helpful to have the wrong person in the wrong position, unable to achieve personal or professional success. He or she deserves to find a role where he or she can thrive, and your team thrives best when the people on it can thrive in what they’re supposed to do.
2. When a plan fails
Leaders are often personally, and sometimes financially, invested in strategic and operational plans, and they can be terribly disappointing or costly when a plan falls apart. The blessing in disguise is that a failed plan frees up mental and organizational space for something better you should be doing that season. The key is turning to find out what that is.
3. When goals are not met
Goals are crucial for leaders to measure success. Failure to meet those goals sometimes indicates weaknesses in personnel, environment, programs or products. But unmet goals can also bless a leader with the opportunity to evaluate why a team failed to meet them or create all new goals. It could be that those unmet goals reveal operational or systemic issues that need to be addressed for ultimate success.
4. When you get negative feedback
I heard the idea years ago that every complaint is a gift from those your organization serves, whether customers, donors, or program participants. The blessing of negative feedback is that it’s an opportunity to evaluate what you’re doing and how you’re doing it. It may sting, but if you can hear it without being defensive, you can learn what the people you serve really need, which will help you better meet that need.
5. If you fail
History is full of stories of successes born from repeated failures. Perseverance and humility help a leader turn failure into fuel, motivating the search for improvement, for the recipe that will ultimately lead to success. The scientific method, the determination required through trial and error – these are examples of how failure and success are linked. That’s why Bill Gates is said to have said that “It’s fine to celebrate success, but it’s more important to heed the lessons of failure.” That’s the mindset you need to recognize blessings in disguise.
What is a blessing in disguise that you have received, professionally or personally? Share in a comment.
