Back in 2009 after selling my security business, I toiled for a year trying to start several internet companies, all which failed. One of the companies was called TheBiddingSpace.com. TheBiddingSpace.com was developed to help property managers solicit, hire, and manage security guard vendors. Looking back on the business model it was far too radical and property managers were not willing to give it a try. Although TheBiddingSpace.com failed, it was one of the most valuable experiences that I have ever had. The skills, knowledge, and insight that I gained from that failed venture have benefitted me in ways I couldn’t have imagined.
Despite TheBiddingSpace.com being a great learning lesson, I don’t like to talk about the fact that it failed. In general, people don’t like to talk about their mistakes and many times prefer to hide them. Our egos feels much better when we ignore our failures and act like they didn’t happen. But that is the reason so many leaders and managers in security businesses continue to face the same problems over and over.
What I have come to understand about failure and the mistakes that go along with it is that they are both a part of taking healthy risks. Consider the quote by Thomas Edison “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” If you, as a leader within your security business, are afraid of making mistakes you run the risk of becoming so fixated on not failing that your security business ceases to grow. Taking risks is one of the necessary elements for keeping your company ahead of the curve.
More: Is Your Security Business Behind The Curve
David Kelley is the founder of IDEO, an innovation and design consulting firm headquartered in California. David believes that failure is a necessary ingredient for any business’ success. Instead of choosing to punish his employees for failing, he and IDEO’s leadership team try to encourage their employees to be at ease with making bad decisions. Similarly, I once had a sergeant who was having problems with one of her officers. Based on previous write-ups and counseling of the officer, she was prepared to initiate his termination. Because of the staffing requirements at the site I knew that we would incur some significant overtime, much of which she would have to work. Despite my suggestions that she wait, she insisted on moving forward. After the officer’s termination and having to work several midnight shifts, she quickly learned the mistake that she’d made and never repeated it again.
As a general rule, I believe that people learn more from their failures than their successes. Here are 5 lessons that I have learned from my failures:
- Failure teaches humility;
- Failure teaches you more about yourself;
- Failure teaches you not to take things too personally;
- Failure builds character;
- Failure does not define who you are.
More: Turn Failure into Success: 10 Ways
Success is a wonderful thing, but too much of it can be dangerous in your security business. In fact, lack of failure has proven to breed mediocrity in most businesses. So how many risks have you taken lately? More importantly, when is the last time you failed in your security business?
By Courtney Sparkman
