Manny Piñeiro

How many TIMEs have you heard that “Failure is not an option.” Well, it actually should be. As a leader, you should always be in a position to fail and at the minimum, accept it as part of your organizational checklist. The myth that you will not fail is a negative stigma, as failures bring opportunities for improvement. As humans, we tend to own failures like a badge of dishonor, when in fact, we should focus on the innovation that provides positive outcomes. If you ask me, I will share what I’ve advised many corporate leaders - “GO FAIL!” Everyone has failed in some point in their life. Share those experiences and make yourself vulnerable. The best leaders make better leaders. Demonstrate your authentic self and keep Making TIME Count!

To many who may believe that procrastination is a TIME management problem; Surprise, it is not! On many occasions, it’s managing personal feelings, such as boredom, and on some medical level, anxiety. People who suffer from procrastination have a false sense of TIME. The example that comes to mind is writing a paper for a class and you write it the night before it has to be turned in. In corporate, it’s meeting a deadline to brief a potential client, and you believe that it could also be accomplished at the same level as you’ve done in the past. This is a task aversion and it will eventually get the best of you. First trigger - are you doing something you enjoy? Don’t stay in a position or job that doesn’t bring you purpose.

The very first thing I thought about was what I’ve seen happen to most - The Battle of Little Bighorn. Many managers believe that they could circle the wagons and figure out how to assess the situation, but here lies the problem; many forget to just reach out and speak to their people. Feedback from your people is pertinent for full disclosure of the potential issues. Assessing the situation is usually bigger and wider than an overhaul of positions. Many corporate entities believe that they are either lacking in some management areas, or flip the entire assessment and begin to let people go. Assessing the situation means getting to the grassroots of the issues, and I’ve found that it starts at the campfire. Don’t be Custer - Make the TIME!

I agree with the urgency for a growth mindset, but before you embrace your goals, you must first embrace your failures. When you own your mistakes, and open the door for opportunities, you’re able to shift and gain valuable insights to refine your strengths. Do your best to seek out challenges, especially with those on your team(s). Taking an opportunity to seek out and set realistic goals will provide them a better understanding of taking risks. Your best goals don’t have a blueprint, so fostering open dialogue will provide a collaborative solution to your goal, without throwing darts at the growth board.

In my experience, “listening to understand” matters. You have to be able to focus on the person before they’re directed to be a client customer. I’ve found that when you’re able to grasp more about the person and what the team is looking for, you’re often in a better position to provide them an opportunity to look at themselves. The overall goal is to help them achieve personal and/ or professional direction.

In my experience, the power of a thought leader is based on their ability to share their insights and pass on what they’ve learned through their personal journey. Invoking an opportunity to teach valuable ideas has the same effect as the relationship between a mentor and mentee. The ability to connect and watch another grow and develop is key, as offering your TIME hones their skills and if done properly, it encourages a contribution to the goal. You have to open the communication, ask questions, listen, but most importantly, you must establish trust. If it’s done correctly, you will always improve the organization. For the record, learn the power of failure. It’s a lost art with a generation that doesn’t understand how to learn from them.