How to Turn Failure into a Catalyst for Growth

I recently faced a challenge that, although challenging at the time, became a significant moment in my career.

I was entrusted with leading a new team in a project that was already in the development stage. This team worked according to processes that differed from our company's standard practices. Trusting in their expertise and not wanting to disrupt the established workflow in a running project, I decided not to delve too deeply into their methodology and not to hold additional meetings to find out the details: how they work, how the project works, and how exactly the planned solution is planned to be implemented. I unconditionally trusted their forecasts on the timing – this is what later turned out to be my main mistake.

Two weeks before the deadline, I held a meet using the checklist I had prepared in advance. To my disappointment, most of the work was unfinished, and what was done did not meet expectations. We were significantly behind schedule, and the quality left much to be desired.

Instead of looking for someone to blame, I gathered the team for a frank discussion. I emphasized the importance of the project to the company and the possible consequences if we missed the deadline. United by a common goal, we developed a plan to get the work back on schedule, where I knew exactly who planned to do what and when, as well as the results that had to be achieved at each intermediate step. The work began to boil, often 16+ hours a day. All this time, I was there for the team: getting technical and human resources, helping to check solutions, organizing meetings, and simply trying to support when it seemed that nothing would work out. I also requested a one-week extension of the deadline as an exception.

In the end, we delivered the project just a week late, but the results exceeded all expectations. We improved the key metric by 70%, significantly exceeding the initial goal of 30%.

The retrospective was comfortable because we approached the exercise in the most constructive way possible, took into account all the uncomfortable moments, and wrote down action points for each case. I also focused on bringing the team's processes in line with our company's proven methods. This not only increased efficiency, but also improved the team's morale.

The experience was, as they say these days, transformative. It brought home to me how critical it is to maintain reasonable control and ask the right questions, even when you have complete confidence in your team’s abilities. It changed my approach to leadership, forcing me to pay more attention to clear communication and alignment of processes.

Failures are not a step back, but an opportunity to leap forward. Often, they provide the most valuable lessons. How have you turned challenges into opportunities for growth?

Share your stories in the comments. Let's discuss and learn from each other's experiences together!