Project Management

Please login or join to subscribe to this thread

Journey of Embracing Failure and Growth

linkedin twitter facebook   Lessons Learned  
avatar
Danny PMP, PgMP
Community Champion
Senior Consultant Tokyo, Japan

As project managers, people often perceive us as experts in handling complex tasks and leading projects to success. However, the reality is that even if we excel at work, we may still face challenges in our personal lives. While our life journey may resemble a project, it’s filled with obstacles and setbacks. That’s why I believe one of the most important lessons a project manager can learn is to accept failure, reflect on it, and use it as an opportunity for growth.

What are your thoughts? I would love to hear your ideas and insights.
Sort By:
avatar
Erica Hawkins Project Management Professional Chicago, IL, United States
As human beings, life is often filled with the mistakes we make and setbacks that we encounter due to those mistakes. Not feeling discouraged is important because like you said, like a project, life has obstacles.

Being disappointed happens because it's in a spectrum of emotions that we can feel. Understanding this is useful because it helps when setbacks arise. You can prepare for feelings of letdown and sadness. Understand that there is always an underlying element of joy in life. This is true of project management as well.

As you experience a setback, have joy in knowing that you will learn to overcome this obstacle soon. Take the time while in the midst of the setback to start to learn and grow from it. The same way that one learns at the close of a project what can be useful again and again for the organization.
avatar
Bisharah Saeed Project Manager| Computacenter
Lovely question! And yes, project managers are tasked with huge responsibilities but that doesn't mean that everything they touch turns into Gold.
When it comes to project management, from experience, I know that a little hardwork, analysis and collaboration can enable me to find answers to most problems. However, real life is completely different because it is never easy to figure out the "whys". Not to mention, when as a person, consistently tries to achieve something but the results are not favourable, it is often easy to lose the momentum and balance. Personally, I tend to avoid all conversations and confine myself alone. But I know that, it is not a long term solution and I need to get back out there and try again, maybe with a different strategy. The loved ones in my life keeps me going in such cases.
avatar
Danny PMP, PgMP
Community Champion
Senior Consultant Tokyo, Japan

Thank you both for sharing your thoughtful insights. I completely agree that setbacks, whether in project management or life, are inevitable and part of the growth process. It's important to embrace failure, learn from it, and maintain a positive perspective, knowing that every challenge brings an opportunity for improvement. While it's easy to feel discouraged, taking the time to reflect, adjust our strategies, and lean on the support of those around us helps us stay motivated and move forward with renewed strength and clarity.

Please login or join to reply

Content ID:
ADVERTISEMENTS

Do, or else do not. There is no 'try'.

- Yoda

ADVERTISEMENT

Sponsors







Vendor Events

See all Vendor Events

Newsletters

Jun 3: The Career Problem Facing New PMs
May 20: Your PM Career as a Project Life Cycle
May 13: The Big Lie After Layoffs

See all newsletters