Go on. Make a guess. Is it…
a) Previous success
b) Previous failure
c) Being really, really likeable
d) Being really, really dislikable
e) Having a successful and/or rich parent
Okay, time’s up. While the cynic in me thinks options (d) and (e) have some merit, the evidence for (b) turns out to be pretty compelling.
That’s right. Previous failure may well be the best preparation for success.
But you will very often hear people declare with discussion-ending certainty that,“of course” previous success is the best predictor of future success. The truth lacks such definitiveness. Sometimes past success correlates with future success, yes, but previous failure also, and often, leads to great performance.
You don’t need to trust me. Ask Geoff Colvin. If you don’t know Geoff’s phone number, you can dip into his book or read his article in Fortune magazine.
Of course, Geoff doesn’t quite put it like that. He cites the huge impact of deliberate practice—keeping going day after day even when the going gets, as he puts it, unpleasant. When unpleasantness occurs, “excellent performers respond by adapting the way they act, while average performers respond by avoiding those situations in the future.”
If you read anything I write you know how strongly I favor facts over opinions, research and analysis over what may appear logical and valid. Show me the proof. Geoff cites a lot of studies, consistent observations from multiple sources. That’s compelling.
What’s really interesting is why some people fail and adapt (going on to success) and others fail and run (towards yet another failure, most likely).
The people who fail and adapt have strong, relevant competencies. Competencies are measures of how you apply your skills and knowledge, how you meet challenges and obstacles, how you act and react at work. People who fail and adapt will be strong at “adapting and responding to change” and “coping with pressures and setbacks” – two of the 20 competencies in our competency framework.
Previous failure is important. It correlates well with future success when the people who fail have the right competencies. But it’s not the only path to success. There are other competencies that correlate with success, with high performance in specific jobs.
The key for job and career success is to know the jobs where the competencies required for success match your own strongest competencies.
For example, two other competencies “applying expertise and technology” and “learning and researching” also signal a capacity to adapt, to learn and to use what is learned.
A study I know identified that the single strongest reason why executives failed was the individual’s “lack of coachability”. You gotta know how to learn.
Careers don’t travel in straight lines. Today’s successes do not necessarily signal an exorable rise to superstardom nor do today’s setbacks announce a long slide to oblivion. Adapt. Learn. Know your competencies. Know yourself. And maybe fail a little.
There is no better preparation for success.
