by Jeanne Dininni

Created on: January 12, 2007   Last Updated: April 13, 2007

Failure-Tolerant Leadership Makes Good Business Sense
Do You Have What it Takes to Be a Failure-Tolerant Leader?

A failure-tolerant leader is one who not only allows, but even encourages subordinates to fail. At first glance, this idea might seem almost absurd, but there is method to this madness. The failure-tolerant leader knows that calculated risk-taking is an indispensable component of success in the world of business. She also knows that, where there is risk, there is an equal potential for failure. She is, however, just as convinced that, often as not, ultimate success is forged through the inspired reworking of the remnants of failure.

Failure-tolerant leaders attempt to redefine failure for their teams, allowing them to see, perhaps for the very first time, that not only is failure usually not fatal, but when not looked upon as the end of the line-but rather as an opportunity to learn and use the insights acquired through it to move onward and upward-it can infuse new life into a project, a team, and a business organization.

Failure-tolerant leaders engage on a personal level with their subordinates, by taking a sincere and wholehearted interest in employee projects, attempting to understand the intricacies of their employees' work, learning to appreciate the meaning the work has for those employees as individuals, and having the ability to frame its significance for them as it relates to the "big picture." They become involved with their teams, as well as with their teams' concerns, problems, and aspirations, which gives team members dignity and makes them feel as if they have a vital role to play in "their" company's business success.

Failure-tolerant leaders take a nonjudgmental attitude when interfacing with staff in the business setting, avoiding either praise or criticism for project outcomes, but rather, engaging in objective analysis of the reasons for them, as well as thoughtful interpretation of any other factors that may be relevant to the situation. This enables employees to have a realistic view of what must be done in order to change failure into success.

Failure-tolerant leaders are willing to bring themselves down to the same level as their team members, to be real, to be human, to admit and take responsibility for their own mistakes, instead of trying to sweep them under the rug and pretend they never happened or blame someone else for them. This encourages empathy in their team members and allows them to relate to their boss in a positive,

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