EDITOR ’ S QUESTION was so focused on closing the opportunity myself to the forecasted time and budget , that I failed to seek input and feedback from the people who could have helped me see the challenges . I also failed to communicate effectively with my team , which led to misunderstandings and mistakes .
Looking back at that time in my career , I have to say , the failure was a turning point for my own development . It forced me to reflect on my leadership style and to recognise the importance of collaboration and communication in solving complex problems . It was also a valuable lesson to reflect and learn how important it is to focus on the ‘ how ’ instead of just the ‘ what ’ and the ‘ when ’.
WHILE SUCCESS BRINGS ITS OWN REWARDS , IT IS OFTEN THE FAILURES THAT TEACH US THE MOST VALUABLE LESSONS .
As a leader in the tech industry , I have experienced many ups and downs throughout my career . While success brings its own rewards , it is often the failures that teach us the most valuable lessons . I would like to share some of the lessons learned and how they have helped shape my career .
Early in my career , as an individual contributor in sales , unsurprisingly , I was solely focused on driving sales results . The ‘ what ’ and the ‘ when ’ of the deal was all that mattered and I paid very little attention to ‘ how ’. I would put in a lot of effort and long hours into every deal , and would set myself high standards for success . However , this approach did not systematically bring success – one very large deal in particular did not go according to plan and I lost it . After claiming everything was under control , the loss was quite a burden to my confidence . I felt I had let down my manager and my team , as well as myself .
Looking back , my biggest mistake was not involving the right people at the right time . I
Furthermore , for my own growth , it was important to admit my own failure which helped me to develop resilience and a growth mindset . If you look at it from a higher perspective and treat every failure or mistake as a learning opportunity , you can ’ t lose . You will never lose . You either win or you learn .
Today , as Area Vice President Growth Markets at Confluent , I am grateful for the lessons I learned . Since the experience many years ago , I have gone on to value coachability and collaboration as the most important attitude traits for winning teams . I believe that it has really helped me to become a better leader . I encourage all leaders to embrace and encourage failure as it is merely another step towards success and to build winning teams full of highly coachable and collaborative superstars .
FRED CREHAN , AREA VICE
PRESIDENT , GROWTH MARKETS , CONFLUENT
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