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There's no failure, only feedback

Caroline New, Information Age

12/05/2007 14:33:07

One of the most exciting, but potentially daunting aspects of working with technology, is the opportunity to push the boundaries of what it can do and how it can be applied.

The ACS tagline "ICT Professionals Shaping Our Future" promotes the idea of ICT professionals as visionaries who see possibilities that others do not and then create or apply technology to bring them into reality.

While not forgetting that in the vast majority of cases there are real business challenges requiring practical solutions, the successful practice of ICT requires advanced capabilities in lateral thinking, creativity, innovation and judicious experimentation.

Then add a healthy dose of perseverance and optimism for handling the inevitable setbacks. Because when you challenge the status quo and advocate change, as ICT professionals inexorably must, success is far from automatic.

Challenges are a fact of life As professionals, a commitment to ethics and professional conduct can go a long way toward mitigating risk. However, we all face situations where our best efforts are not enough to deliver the results we seek.

Perhaps a major contract goes to a competitor, a change in government regulations has a negative impact on the business, or a project is delayed by bugs or other technical challenges.

ICT professionals face these challenges every day. Your ability to dust yourself off, reaffirm your commitment to your outcome and persevere in the face of scepticism or even ridicule separates a leader from the rest.

When Thomas Edison developed the incandescent light bulb for household use, it took over 10,000 attempts before he achieved the kind of long-lasting, reliable performance that made electrical lighting safe, practical and affordable.

A few months before making the final breakthrough, he was asked why he continued to throw good money after bad. Edison denied that he had failed, saying that he now knew 10,000 ways not to make light bulbs and was that much closer to achieving his goal.

Meaning determines reality Like every leader in business and in life, Edison understood that we give our own meaning to each situation and circumstance. While this generally happens at an unconscious level and is determined by our existing beliefs and values, we can choose at any time to change the meaning we give something to make it serve us better.

Let me illustrate: someone throwing a chair through a window would be considered by most people to be a vandal deserving of condemnation.

Add a few flames, billowing smoke and a room full of terrified children and our villain quickly transforms into a quick-thinking hero worthy of the highest commendation.

Sure, the context changes the meaning completely, but this is the case in every situation. There are always multiple perspectives, contexts and points of view, and in order to be completely effective, ICT professionals must look for and address them all.

Every day we're faced with "chair out the window" scenarios where the smoke and flames are not immediately apparent, but most people won't bother looking for them and so miss out on opportunities to act.

When life gives you lemons Every business challenge hides an unseen opportunity. The real issue is whether you're willing to dig a little deeper and find the more empowering meaning, the one that opens a door you never previously realised was there.

Sometimes it's as straightforward as taking that new government regulation everyone is complaining about and offering a product or service that eases their pain. And sometimes you'll swear there's no upside to whatever situation is facing you -- until you finally find it.

ICT leaders make the time and effort to sift through the facts and consider all points of view to find the gift inherent in the glitch.

There are two simple, but extremely powerful, questions to ask whenever you're confronted with a challenge or obstacle: • What else could this mean? By asking this question, you choose to move outside your own preconceived ideas and consider other points of view. This is the first step in opening your mind and putting aside existing emotions or prejudices that might currently be influencing you, and allows you to be more objective, analytical and more receptive to other opinions. A leader will consider all available information and perspectives before making a decision. • What can I learn from this? This question presupposes that you don't know everything and prevents the 'closed mind' syndrome that limits creative thinking and effective problem-solving. It also programs your mind to be on the lookout for any shred of information that might be useful to you, ensuring that you notice exactly what you need to in order to solve your current challenge.

These questions might seem simple, but few people take the time to answer them and those who do will testify to the results.

Switch on your mind Consider the fact that any time you feel challenged, pressured or overwhelmed, you automatically switch off parts of your brain. This is why people regress or lose their cool under pressure. They literally lose their ability to connect with the resources that will help them address the situation.

By asking these two questions, you prevent yourself from going into overwhelm. By choosing to be curious - what else could this mean/what could I learn? - you empower your brain to explore the situation more fully, learn the necessary lessons and ultimately find a more elegant solution.

Challenges are a fact of life. People who give up whenever they experience a challenge, simply prove their critics right.

It's far better to re-focus on your outcome by asking quality questions and then use the answers you come up with to adjust your approach as you tackle that challenge again.

When you learn to use your failures to inform and fuel your future endeavours, greater fulfilment in work and in life become inevitable.

Caroline New has worked in, and consulted to, Australian ICT for nearly 20 years. She also has a boutique coaching firm. See www.getareallife.com.au