Sometimes You Win, Sometimes You Learn
My orignial title for this blog was, Sometimes You Win, Sometimes You Accidentally Initiate a ‘Beer with the Chaplain Program’. That felt a bit long. But you get where this is headed…
I started college not really sure what or who I wanted to be when I grew up. I actually put down Computer Science as my major freshman year at JBU. I wanted to make a lot of money and get away from people (Yeah, you read that right!). It took only a semester to realize this wasn’t for me. Actually I’m pretty sure those were my advisor’s exact words, haha!
Fast forward a few years…I was 23 and a Chaplain at Simmons (God has a sense of humor!). Looking for different ways to connect with team members, I came up with the idea of a Chaplain website and a blog. During that one semester trying to act like a cool “computer guy”, I had taken a web design class, and honestly, it was the only thing I was halfway competent at.
After I finished the website, I decided I would translate the entire thing into Spanish. I had taken a year of Spanish in high school, so between my extensive experience with the language and the help of the ever-accurate Google Translate, I went for it.
|| PAUSE
Looking back, I realize a smart person would have had a few people who actually speak Spanish to look at it before sending it. I did not do that.
Instead, I sent it out to “Re: Everyone.”
UNPAUSE ||
So apparently, “Cervezas” is not “Services” in Spanish.
I received a call literally 30 seconds after I clicked “Send”. Here’s what I remember her saying:
“Hey Nick! Great job on the website. Really glad to have it in Spanish. One thing though…at the top in huge font it reads, ‘Cervezas con el Capellan’. I don’t think that is how you translate ‘Chaplain Services’ in Spanish. Unless you are announcing a new “Beer with the Chaplain” program, you might want to correct that…”
Dead silence. I was so embarrassed! She chimed back in...
“By the way, if you ever do start a “Beer with the Chaplain” program, I think there would be a line outside your door.”
Click.
[This is the “Sometimes You Learn” portion of the blog if you were wondering…]
I heard from a few people who were offended by it, and way more people that were ready to form that line outside my office. One guy said it might be a good way to get some people to open up and talk! I shut the site down as fast as I could and made a few minor changes.
Also, the next three Chaplains I hired all spoke Spanish, haha.
This was probably 9 years ago now. To this day, I still get asked when the “Beer with the Chaplain” program is going to get started. Probably not gonna happen!
John Maxwell has a great book called “Failing Forward”. I’ve mentioned it a few times in blogs and workshops over the last decade at Simmons, but it has had such a profound impact on me. It’s one of the books my Dad paid me $20 to read as a teenager. This book helped me learn to reframe failure and how to overcome the fears that keep people from taking a risk or trying something new. It is still a book I read through again once every year.
“Why do achievers overcome problems while thousands are overwhelmed by theirs? They refused to hold on to the common excuses for failure. They turned their stumbling blocks into stepping stones. They realized that they couldn’t determine every circumstance in life, but they could determine their choice of attitude towards every circumstance.”
Failure 101
Comedian Ken Davis tells the story about learning how to ski. On his first day of ski school, the instructor, Sven, stood up in front of the first-timers and in a cocky, Schwarzenegger-like accent said, “OK. Today, I, Sven Vanwell…I am going to teach you…how to fall.”
Ken said he raised his hand and said, “Sven, is it? I didn’t pay you $50 bucks to teach me how to fall down! How about you teach me to stand up today!”
If you’ve ever been skiing before though, you know how important it is to know how to fall correctly. You’ve got to have it in your mind that if things start to go south, and at some point they will, you’ve got to try to sit down on your rear to the right or left. The alternative is often bruised ribs, broken bones, and an expensive ride off the mountain!
During the Simmons Values & Culture workshops over the years, a theme that continually comes up is the fear of failure. I think in order to be successful, we have got to learn how to accept that failure and mistakes are going to happen. Those who are humble and courageous enough to learn from them are able to oftentimes experience growth as a result.
We need a Failure 101 class.
One of the things that I love about Simmons’ culture is the drive to continuously improve. We are a $2 billion dollar company (and growing) that has been around over 70 years, and yet curiousity and innovation are still part of our DNA. I have enjoyed getting to know our leaders while serving on the SLT the past few years. They are leaders who not only talk about our Values, but strive to live them authentically. I asked a few of them if they would share a “failing forward” story to help with this blog:
“FAILING FORWARD” STORIES
“Many of my early failures were in the vein of ‘measure twice cut once!’ One of my first full time jobs at Simmons was in Marketing. I was responsible for packaging on a new product roll out we were doing and one of my key jobs was quality control. The print run was happening in the middle of the night and one of the main issues was to make sure that the print register was clear. Well, while the print was coming out as clear as it should have, I didn't have the curiosity or confidence to simply ask, "Is this right??". By the time I took action, we had already run two hours worth of packaging that ended up having to be corrected and redone. I learned that it's never too soon to ask questions that you think might make you look dumb or inexperienced. Be bold and stand up for yourself even if it's just a ‘gut feeling’.”
- TODD SIMMONS, CEO
“We had an unfortunate situation a few years ago resulting in nearly 20mm pounds of product being placed on recall. There was an installation error on one of the pumps that fill the chiller. A pre-construction screen that was in place to remove any construction FM was to be removed after first minutes of use. As a result of this, the Food Safety team has implemented many improved FM policies and procedures, including a FM app where all findings are now recorded as well as a standardized camera to record such findings. This allows us to quickly identify trends as opposed to isolated findings.”
- Craig Bacon, EVP Technical services
“My most infamous failure was not measuring correctly for the spiral freezer at Van Buren Cook and finding out what we bought would not fit in the building unless we 'lowered the floor'. UNfortunately, it was a mistake with alot of zeros attached to it. I learned to delegate to the engineering staff who knew the slope of the roof and slope of the floor!”
- David Jackson, COO
“I was the plant manager overseeing a building project in the mid-90’s. As part of the new plant, we had installed a 20,000 gallon hot water tank for sanitation. This tank was piped to several high pressure pumps that pulled water from the tank at a fairly high velocity. I got a call from our Maintenance Superintendent and he said, "Rob, we have a problem! When we turned on all the hoses the twenty thousand gallon tank collapsed like a beer can!" We had failed to put a vent on that tank and the vacuum was so great it collapsed the tank. To say the least, the start up of the plant was postponed a few days....The moral to this story is "details". A small vent hole in that tank would have prevented that additional expense and work. In manufacturing, everything we do is either Process or People. To be successful in anything, extreme attention to the details is very important. I learned that the hard way.”
- ROB TANKSLEY, EVP PURCHASING, SUPPLY CHAIN, TRANSPORTATION
How we deal with failure, both our own and the mistakes of others, will determine the type of culture and company we will build for the future. I am thankful for the leadership we have at Simmons and the encouragement we have to continuously improve - including sometimes “failing forward” in the process.
I will be vulnerable with you though. When failure happens - especially when it’s my mistake - I often lack the humility and courage needed to learn from it. I am quick to get defensive, especially when I’m embarrassed. That’s actually something I pray for daily - to be quicker to respond to failure and challenges with humility and courage, rather than let my pride or ego and the fear of failure or of disappointing others drive my response.
Here are a few practical ways I’m learning to lead with the Win/Learn mindset. Maybe they will be helpful for you as you lead at work and at home:
1) Be teachable and willing to learn by asking more questions, especially when you’ve made a mistake.
The leaders I have the most respect for are the ones that are constantly learning. They are always asking for feedback on how to improve, what others are learning, and they are vulnerable to share failures and what they learned from them.
Things teachable people say/ask:
What can I learn from this?
What is the next wise thing to do?
Who has experience with this? (Buy them a cup of coffee and ask if you can go to school on them.)
What processes can we put in place to make sure this failure/mistake doesn’t happen again?
2) Predetermine your response to failure.
Set it in your mind that when you try something and it fails, you are going to handle it with a “fail forward” mindset. Take Responsibility for your actions. Don’t point fingers or make excuses. Own what you need to own. Be Curious and find a better solution to the problem at hand.
Practice saying this out loud: “I was wrong.” If you throw up in your mouth a little the first time, that’s OK. Do it anyways.
3) Lean into the fear of failure with courage and humility.
Failure can be humiliating. It can also be a tool that God uses to help us be men and women of humility. If you get stuck in a decision because of fear, ask yourself, “What is behind this for me?” Make the fear or anxiety give an account for itself. You may find wisdom in the process, but you also may realize that what is needed is courage.
If you find yourself stuck or have “analysis paralysis,” talk it through with someone. Ask for another set of eyes to look at the problem. You’ve got an incredibly talented team around you at Simmons. Pick up the phone and ask for help.
4) Be open to sharing ‘Failing Forward’ stories.
You would be amazed at what we can learn from each other if we will be humble enough to share from our mistakes. The value that you can add to others by sharing what you learned from failure, gives others the ability to not make the same mistakes. It also gives others the courage to lean into their present challenges with wisdom and confidence. This is especially true if you are leading a team. It will create a culture where a value like Be Curious moves from aspirational to being authentic.
REFLECT & TAKE ACTION:
Is there a recent failure you need to resolve and learn from?
What changes or projects do you have coming up that you need to predetermine your attitude towards with humility and courage?
WHAT “FAILING FORWARD” STORY FROM YOUR PAST CAN YOU SHARE WITH YOUR TEAM?
While we don’t have a “Beer with the Chaplain” program, we might start up a “Café con el Capellán”.
That is Spanish for, “Coffee with the Chaplain”.
At least I think it is...
“The greatest mistake we make is living in constant fear that we will make one.”