Ever made a mistake and wish you could show up again the right way? How we APOLOGIZE and SHOW UP AGAIN says everything about us as people and leaders, especially if we are choosing to live into new values. Making mistakes are a normal part of life and leadership. How we respond to them can leave people feeling more safe, seen, and valued, or the exact opposite.

The night before the 2014 Madison Ironman, I was sitting on the shore of Lake Monona contemplating signing up for the 2015 race. I was incredibly undecided, but maybe not for the reason you’re thinking.

What does failure do to you? Does it stop you in your tracks, make you walk back 2 steps, or invite you to lean in and learn? When things don’t turn out the way we expect, and we ‘fail,’ if we turn this inward and believe that we are therefore a failure, we ultimately hold ourselves back from everything we were created to be and do in our generation. And we certainly will never embrace ‘failures’ as the necessary element of sustained success that they are.