FAILURES |
Failing With A Purpose
Throughout my personal and professional life, I've had many failures...and that's not a bad thing! Not failing means not trying new things and not stepping out to experiment. Here are a few of my less than successful experiences and what I've learned from them...
- Early in my experience managing projects, I had a co-worker on the project come to me and tell me I was being a real jerk. Acknowledging that she was absolutely right, I pulled the team together, apologized to the group and we were able to move forward as a unit. I found out that project management is as much about the people as it is about the "stuff" (and probably more...) - I found a specific software program for our department and lobbied our director to purchase it. She was hesitant to do so, but I insisted it would become a main tool in our toolkit and we would use it regularly. She approved the purchase and the software was installed. Having only looked at demo videos, I had no first-hand experience with the program. It turned out to be quite cumbersome and no one - including myself- ended up using it. This experience taught me the value of doing my due diligence before making a recommendation. - In my excitement to help my daughter learn more about music theory, I encouraged her to memorize two mnemonic devices to remember the order of the sharps and flats. While she could recite them back to me, they held no value for her as I had not given her the proper context to understand their application. When I tried to backtrack and explain the process, it only brought more confusion. Remembering to always connect learners to the "why" through relevant contextual examples is key in helping them truly understand content. |