Managing Failure

​Analysis. Critique. Evaluation. Introspection.

Let's be honest—we all cringe a little when we hear those words. They involve processes that require time, effort, energy and honesty.

Here's another uncomfortable word: failure.

I grew up fearing failure. Bouts of anxiety surrounded examinations and assessments, and still do. I always worked hard and did extra work to ensure that I didn't fail. When I did fail, self-loathing was the order of the day or night.

I was unexpectedly reminded of these feelings recently at the Society for Human Resource Management Annual Conference & Expo 2022 in New Orleans. Another attendee and I were waiting to board a paddle-wheel boat for a river cruise, and we began chatting. Somehow it led to whether either of us had ever jumped off a boat as kids. Yes, I said, I jumped off boats, despite not being able to swim very well, and I also climbed trees, but had never fallen out and broken a bone. My colleague was shocked to hear this.

While growing up, I told her, I usually only tackled those activities that I knew I had a fighting chance to make it through.

As I became an adult, however, failures seemed to outweigh successes. Thankfully, I also quickly realized that accepting failure is a part of the process of pursuing our careers and living our lives.

Critical Evaluation of 'Project Us'

In engaging in the process of pursuing my career and living my life (a process I call "Project Us"), I'm reminded of the HR behavioral competency of critical evaluation (now known as analytical aptitude in the SHRM Body of Applied Skills and Knowledge). SHRM's definition describes it as the ability to collect and analyze data and to interpret findings to inform business decisions and recommendations.

Critical evaluation can be applied to our careers and lives. Let's consider ourselves to be the business. We need the ability to interpret information to make decisions and recommendations.

In her book Applying Critical Evaluation (SHRM, 2017), Jennifer Currence, SHRM-SCP, offers three steps to getting started:

1. Understand the situation.
2. Identify the desired outcome.
3. Plan your process.

It's important to start with a big-view approach, Currence says, because if we get too caught up in details, it's difficult to think of other options.

Here are two stories about applying critical evaluation to Project Us.

Tweaking the Process

A few months back, I attended a webinar with an HR career coach and 79 online participants. At one point, we were asked to share a bit about ourselves and what we hoped to achieve in the next six months. The response that struck me the most came from an attendee who said she hoped to pass the SHRM-CP exam—on her fourth attempt.

I double-checked the chat window to confirm what I just read. It was no mistake—by the time she takes her next exam, she will have taken it four times. The excitement in her comment (which also included two exclamation points), while virtual, was quite tangible. She was ready for the challenge and felt encouraged by our 45-minute coaching session. Even though she had failed the certification exam three times already, she was still intent on passing it.

I'm certain that my colleague had entertained thoughts of trying for a different credential, opting out of taking any exam, or simply transitioning to another career. But by thinking about her options, she was continually tweaking her process. She was applying critical evaluation: understanding her situation, identifying her desired outcome, and seeking additional information and tools to reach it and attain her SHRM-CP.

A Learning Experience

My second story is also about SHRM22.

I had already accumulated 80 professional development credits (PDCs), more than required for me to recertify by the time SHRM22 was held in June. Before I left to attend the conference, I completed my personal budget and list of expenses for the coming month. I convinced myself that, to better manage cash flow while I was away, I would wait to recertify until the end of June, after the conference.

Unfortunately, by waiting to recertify, I lost out on earning another 47 PDCs at the conference (27 credits for being a SHRM-certified attendee and 20 credits for participating in a pre-conference workshop).

I had been so consumed by the nitty-gritty of my personal finances that I hadn't considered all the relevant factors in the timing of my recertification, such as limits on the carryover of PDCs. And I was the author of an article offering tips to credential-holders on recertification!

For a moment, I felt that I had failed myself. Then, I reminded myself that the purpose of PDCs is to ensure that HR professionals continue learning and stay current with developments in our industries.

The experiences and knowledge I gained from attending SHRM22 and participating in the workshop were still meaningful, even though I missed out on earning additional credits toward recertification. I continued to learn and stay current—two things that remain essential to my desired outcome of maintaining my credential.

Should I ever get the opportunity to attend another conference, I will more carefully consider all the relevant factors and seek to maximize the opportunity. That is, I'll apply critical evaluation—by understanding the situation, identifying the desired outcome (in particular, recertification), and better planning the process to reach it.

I'm not in a competition with myself or anyone else. There's certainly no stopwatch or buzzer in sight. Life is a continuum. There was no failure here, only learning.

Alison Brome, SHRM-CP, is HR manager for Massy Stores in Barbados. She has a master's degree in project management and is a Certified Green Project Manager (GPM-b).