Business Book Review: Failing Forward by John C Maxwell
In Failing Forward, Maxwell doesn’t just give us permission to fail - he demands it. He celebrates it as the foundation of the greatest success stories.
My Rating: ★★★
Length: 262 pages
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Released: April 2017
Applying the book to personal branding
In Failing Forward, John C. Maxwell, not only puts you at ease with failing, he makes you excited about it. As it means you’re acting outside of your comfort zone.
Failing Forward
In the book, Maxwell urges you to take a risk, believing there is no other way to ‘fail forward’, which is the concept that success is built from learning from failings.
As the book reflects on, it’s the spirit of failing forward that is why the Wright Brothers are a household name. Unlike their counterpart, Dr Samuel P Langley, they were unknown, uneducated and unfunded. Yet, just days after Langley gave in to defeat, the brothers famously flew over the sand dunes of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
The Embarrassment Trap
Personal branding is always pushing your comfort zones. It centres on the outward expression of what is deeply personal. And putting yourself out there isn’t always easy. In fact, for many it’s terrifying.
Maxwell helps put this feeling into words. He outlines ‘traps’ that make people back away from risk. A standout one is the ‘Embarrassment Trap’. He acknowledges that deep down no one wants to look bad. To which he has some invaluable advice:
‘get over it.’
You have to get over yourself because everyone else has. A refreshing reminder that people aren’t thinking about you as much as you think.
Favourite Quotes
Observe any high achiever, and you’ll discover a person who doesn’t see a mistake as the enemy.
The terrible truth is that all roads to achievement lead through the land of failure.
Achievers see failure as temporary…When achievers fail, they see it as a momentary event, not a lifelong epidemic.
Vow to bounce back. No matter how many times you fall down, pick yourself up and keep going.
When people think about you, do they say to themselves, “My life is better because of that person,” or “My life is worse”?
We overestimate the event and underestimate the process. Every fulfilled dream occurred because of dedication to a process.
…remember, the only difference between a little shot and a big shot is that the big shot kept shooting.
In true Maxwell style, the book is a litany of references from all worlds. From sports to science, there’s something for everyone. Maxwell shines a light on some of the failures that preceded or plagued some of the greatest success stories of our time. It’s the ‘hero on a mission’ storytelling formula in real life.
This book is for anyone who has ever feared failing. What it lacks in some practical application, it makes up for in inspiration. Instilling the idea of celebrating failure. And if you aren’t failing, you likely aren’t really living.
Failing Forward by John C. Maxwell: Available on Amazon.
