January 15, 2009
It took me 6 rounds of job interview sessions and some real strong recommendation to receive my job at eClinicalWorks LLC. The good thing is that I received the job (i.e. success); the bad part is that I had to prove myself 6 times before being chosen for the job (i.e. failure).
Failure has many flavors:
- Failure to meet expectation
- Failure to anticipate
- Failure to process and complete a task
Here is a quick recollection of the areas where I have failed :
- As a Student : In my 10th grade I failed in “English Language” as a subject. (Reason: Attention span of a moth)
- As a Coordinator : In my previous experience as a “Development Coordinator”, I was not able to perform my duties. (Reason: Half knowledge is dangerous)
- As a Project Manager : The most important aspect of being a Project Manager is constant follow-up. I have had incidences where I have missed following up on a project.
- As a Network Team Member : I have failed in making sure the team follows the best-practices for Internal Communication.
- As a Knowledge Manager : One of the responsibilities of a Knowledge Manager is efficient transfer of knowledge amongst various departments. I failed to do so.
Failure is directly proportional to the mistakes one makes.
Here is what have I learned from my failed experiences / mistakes :
- Always admit your mistakes.
- Accept responsibilities and follow-up.
- Work to understand why it happened and what the factors were.
- Never give up (keep on trying until you succeed).
- Try not to make the same mistakes again.
- Effective communication is the key to success.
- Learn from the past and move on with life.
- Learn from the mistakes of others.
In life, to be honest, I have failed as much as I have succeeded. Despite the pain and the stress of the failure, there is always a learning curve which one must embrace. This is what we call experience.
“Experience is the name every one gives to their mistakes.” — Oscar Wilde