A majority of organizations out there will have some kind of strategy for how they run business, some more detailed than others. But having a clear strategy doesn’t mean that it’s fail-proof, as the best strategies in the world can fail. So, what actions are best for turning a failed strategy into results? Do you have a strategy when it comes to failure?

Failure Can Open New Doors

Failure is an unplanned outcome that might take one down a slightly different path. There’s a strong possibility that failure could lead to new opportunities or a change of direction. The journey might be a bumpy one, but if you’re open to change and learn from your failures, success can be around the corner.

Be sure to implement room for failure in your strategy. This way you’ll be more prepared, as failure is not something we should fundamentally fear. It should be treated as part of the process towards success. People that fail more than others tend to succeed most often – they work hard, take risks, and learn from their failures.

How Do You Plan to React?

The difference between long-term success and failure is your reaction to it. Taking the initial risk won’t necessary lead to success first time. There will be failures, which is a part of the journey.

Be sure to identify your mistakes and learn from them. Successful people have experienced failure at some point in their lives, sometimes on multiple occasions. They build upon the lessons learnt and move on, so implement improvements into your next strategy.

Make Change Your Default

Strategies can fail, and one should be prepared to fail when individuals involved in the strategy resist change. So, make sure change is your default setting. Revise your strategy in order to get out of a sticky situation, which usually requires changing people’s habits.

Habits in organizations can be sticky and persistent at the best of times. For example, a strategy might make sense to the decision makers, but look very different in the eyes of the rest of the company. Change is something that people need to be open to across the board.

Work Together

You can’t implement and stick to a strategy on your own, and you really don’t have to. Failures can sometimes prevent us from moving forward – an extra pair of hands will help us get out of bad habits.

If you or your team need a revised strategy in order to deal with a recent failure, perhaps consider finding a coach or a mentor who can support you in your efforts. Failure is the one of the best ways to truly grow, as it’s basically how we learn to succeed.

It’s then important to understand the root causes of what failure occurred. This requires discipline and enthusiasm in order to analyze and ensure that the right lessons are learnt and the right remedies are used.

By working together, our strategies can be implemented successfully. Teams throughout your organization need to work together and offer different contributions. By having a strategy when it comes to failure, you’re basically aware of what to do if your strategy is unsuccessful. Acknowledge the failure, work at it, and learn a lesson for next time.

Do you have a strategy when it comes to failure? What are your top tips for organizations in the wake of a failure?